Sanctuary
by Dysnomia Hybris
Summary: Edward can’t control his killer instincts when he’s around Bella. He doesn’t want to have to leave Forks, but sooner or later he’s bound to kill her. Emmett decided it was up to him to help his brother, no matter what it takes to keep Edward with him.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sanctuary  
Author: Dysnomia  
Rating: NC-17  
Pairing: Emmett/Edward  
Word Count: ~ 47,000  
Warnings: angst, language, slight D/s undertones, AU, m/m relationships, some slightly kinky sex.  
Summary: Edward can't control his killer instincts when he's around Bella. He doesn't want to have to leave Forks, but sooner or later he's bound to kill her. Emmett decided it was up to him to help his brother, no matter what it takes to keep Edward with him. Things get even more complicated when James and his coven start feeding around the home the Cullen's have made in Forks.  
Author's Note: So this fic turned into a monster. I've never written anything so long before. And to think at first I was worried I wouldn't be able to get past 20,000 words. In the end I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep it under 50,000.  
On another note, I've made slight modifications to Edward's mind reading powers. It is now able to be blocked by the members of his family, since they've had so many years to practice doing such a thing.  
There are also a couple of parts taken from Twilight, and from Midnight Sun. They have been used only because they were so perfect, and no infringement was meant. There are only three different parts borrowed from the books.

Edward was never able to pinpoint the moment when his feelings for his brother had changed. When he'd stopped seeing Emmett as a brother, and started viewing him as a potential lover. The thoughts had snuck up on him, creeping in when he'd least expected them, scaring him with their intensity sometimes. It wasn't so much that they were unwanted, far from it. Edward relished the thoughts, spending much of his time alone dwelling on the possibility.

The only problem was Emmett himself, the younger vampire quite obviously wanted nothing to do with another man, if the thoughts that Edward would pick up were any indication. Most of his family was careful about their sexual fantasies around him, always making sure he was either nowhere around when they chose to indulge, or else concentrated on something else as well to give him the hint to keep out. They all had specific ways to let him know they needed their privacy. Jasper was fond of military tactics, Carlisle recounted the Bible, Rose only ever thought of herself, so that wasn't a problem. Esme would politely ask him to refrain from listening to her with her thoughts, and Alice would be blunter in kicking him out.

Not Emmett though, he didn't seem to care if Edward was privy to his fantasies, in fact he had his suspicions that the large vampire showed Edward these things on purpose sometimes. Edward's private despair stemmed from the fact that every fantasy of Emmett's starred a woman and more than half of the time, the starring role was given to Rosalie. The one and only hope that he had, that he clung to desperately, was that his sister had no similar feelings towards the man she had saved all those years ago.

Emmett's dark curls, dimples and sense of innocence reminded Rose too much of her friend's little boy, an image that she just wasn't able to shake, an image she still couldn't get past to try and see Emmett for the man that he was, a man who, judging by his thoughts, wanted to treat Rose as a woman, not a sister. Edward was ashamed of the fact that he silently hoped Rose would continue to ignore Emmett's advances. Not because he wanted Emmett to be alone, far from it, but because Edward knew how good his siblings could be together. He knew Rosalie would love to have someone to adore her all the time and Emmett would love to show off the fact that something so beautiful was his.

So now, even after so many years, Edward was still alone. He'd endured through various crushes on him by a multitude of teenage girls, as well as the flirting from a few of the female vampires he knew. He never did take any of them up on their offers, he just couldn't do it. His heart was set on someone, someone he couldn't have, but he wouldn't settle for anyone else.

Edward was almost positive that he managed to hide his feelings for his larger brother from most of his family. But every once in a while, Alice would look at him funny, and it left him wondering what exactly it was that she was seeing in his future. He'd questioned her before, but hadn't managed to get any information out of her; she'd only smirked at him and giggled. And judging by how strong the emotion was, he didn't doubt that Jasper could feel it, but would never mention it to him. Jasper just didn't invade other's privacy like that, he'd keep the information to himself.

His love for Emmett only seemed to be growing stronger, encroaching on his every thought whenever the brunette was around. This was why he was glad they didn't share many classes together at school. Edward could have thoughts that didn't revolve around Emmett while in class during the morning, mentally preparing himself for lunch, Spanish and the rest of the day after school. He was able to think about other things that were important, like what he was going to do about the new girl. Bella Swan, the one person he's come across during his lifetime whose mind he couldn't read at all. While his family had eventually learned how to mostly block him out, get it to the point where he could only pick up select words or just hear the thrumming of their thoughts. But with her there was nothing, no sound at all.

Edward had seen the blush on her face when she looked at him, but couldn't hear the thoughts that usually accompanied such a look. It was definitely strange, if not a little disconcerting. Edward was so used to listening to other people's thoughts that the blank spot where Bella's thoughts should have been creeped him out. It took everything he had to repress the urge to scowl when she walked through the doorway to his Biology class, she stopped to talk to the teacher for a moment, before he gestured to the only open seat left, the one right next to him.

She avoided looking at him as she made her way over, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she sat down. Edward froze, going absolutely still as her scent reached his nose. It was mouth watering, like nothing he'd smelt before. He had to grip the table to try and reign in the urge to lunge at her, witnesses be damned. He had to control himself, for more than one reason. First and foremost was the fact that there were more than twenty other people in the room, witnesses that would out him and his family for what they really were.

The fact that he didn't want to kill anyone, least alone this innocent girl, wasn't the only thing that stopped him from biting into her neck and drinking that intoxicating blood. Edward forced himself to think of Carlisle, of how disappointed his father would be if he gave into this moment of weakness. So instead of attacking, he shifted his chair as far away as he possibly could, refusing to look at her, at the same time he turned away to get a breath of fresh air to rid himself of her scent, and then held it. As soon as he couldn't smell her anymore, the monster roaring inside him calmed. Throughout the entire lesson though, his stiff posture didn't fade, nor did he loosen his grip on the table. He was up and out of his chair, very nearly out of the room, before the bell was even finished ringing.

He had to get out of there, out of the building, away from temptation that he hasn't been presented with for decades. He nearly fled for the doors leading outside, and it wasn't until he was in the parking lot halfway to his car, that he let himself breathe again. He sucked in deep lungfuls of fresh clean air, trying to rid his senses of any lingering scent.

Edward leaned against the Volvo, palms resting on the hood, eyes clenched tightly shut. The echoes of his homicidal thoughts still bounced around in his head. The hand that landed on his shoulder surprised him. He hadn't been paying any attention to his surroundings. Edward jerked in shock, eyes flying wide open at the contact, even as a corner of his mind recognized the owner of the hand, the growl still slipped through his lips. It was quiet, but the threat it implied was still there.

Emmett released him right away, holding up his hands and taking a step back, concern written across his features. Edward wondered just how much of a sight he must look right now to have Emmett staring at him like he was about to lose it. "Whoa, whoa, Edward, calm down. It's just me. What's wrong?"

Edward looked into worry filled eyes, trying to lose himself in those dark pools. "I almost just," And he stopped there, trying to stop his voice from shaking. Instead of leaping right into a confession he asked Emmett a question instead. "Do you know the new girl, Bella? Have you met her yet, in person, not just when we saw her at lunch?"

Emmett shook his head, a frown creasing his forehead as he started to put the pieces together. "I only saw her at lunch." The frown deepened. "This has something to do with her, doesn't it?"

Edward covered his face with his hands, unable to look Emmett in the face as he admitted his near mistake. "I wanted to bite her Em." He whispered the sentence. "So badly. I've never wanted human blood so strongly before."

Emmett's hand moved back to his shoulder, squeezing slightly in comfort. "Hey, it happens Edward. We've all gone through this. Shit, Jasper goes through this every day."

"No!" Edward shrugged off Emmett's hand, pushing himself away from the car. His eyes were blazing, his face serious. "No." He repeated the word softer this time, the anger drained from his voice. "Emmett, it was almost too much. If there hadn't been other people in the room, she'd be dead right now. I can't handle it, usually there's no problem with my control. But her scent! Oh, Emmett, she smells just divine, the highest quality drug made just for me. I don't think I can do this; I can't stay away from her. I crave her blood, I want it, almost as much as I want-"

Edward snapped his mouth shut, mentally berating himself for almost letting his secret slip, almost saying '_As much as I want you._' He turned his back on Emmett then, trying to compose himself, to get himself back under control. Emmett was almost too quiet behind him, Edward would have thought he was gone if he couldn't hear the slight hum of his thoughts. Edward frowned, realizing that Emmett's thoughts were just that, nothing but a hum, almost white noise. Which meant he was purposefully blocking Edward. His heart sunk, just knowing that this was it, Emmett was disgusted with him, had interpreted what the end of his sentence was supposed to be and was revolted by the thought. Edward hoped he wouldn't say anything about it though, that Emmett cared enough about him as a brother that he'd spare Edward's feelings. He was starting to work himself into a panic, if his heart beat it would be thumping wildly in his chest right now. As it was, the breath he didn't truly need was speeding up, short little gasps escaping from between his clenched teeth.

Emmett knew better then to touch Edward this time, hearing just how close the older vampire was to snapping, noticing the tremble in his voice and how close he was to hyperventilating for someone who didn't even need air. "Look Edward," the tone of his voice was gentle, as soft and soothing as he could manage it, and damn it, Jasper was better at this then he was, and not just because he could control emotions. Emmett expressed himself better with actions, not talking about feelings. "We'll figure something out Edward. You should know that we won't let you do anything you're going to regret, alright?"

Shame flooded through his body at the mention if their family, and Edward made the decision quickly, reacting almost without thought. "I don't want them to know. Please Emmett, don't tell everyone else. I can't..." He stopped to run a hand through messy bronze hair. "I can't show them how weak I am. Keep this between the two of us only. Please."

Emmett looked into the pleading golden eyes of his brother, and felt his resolve crumble in the face of Edward's pain. He found himself nodding, "Sure, no problem, we'll keep it to ourselves. I'll help you, just me, I'll figure something out that'll help you, distract you. I promise."

Emmett watched as his words obviously placated the older vampire. His shoulders slumped in relief, some of the tension leaving his body. Emmett was still frowning, hadn't really stopped frowning since he'd first witnessed Edward's escape from school. "You only have the one class with her right?"

He nodded, "Yeah, just Biology. Why?"

"Well, she's going to be pretty easy to avoid outside of class. The closest she's really ever going to get is during lunch, and I can keep an eye on you then to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Edward scowled at the use of the word stupid, but let him get away with it. "So what? Lunch isn't the problem. This whole thing stems from having her sit next to me in class. That's where I can't trust myself to keep control."

Emmett ignored the frustrated tone that colored Edward's voice. The flash of annoyance he felt at being interrupted seeped into his own words as he continued. "I was getting to the point, if you'd let me finish." He shot a glare at his brother, who had the good grace to look properly chastised. "If Biology is going to be the hardest part to deal with, then just get out of the class. Switch it to something else, or just drop it altogether, I'm sure you'll have enough credits still."

Another wave of annoyance swept through him at the surprise that flitted across Edward's face. "That's an idea. I should be able to avoid her otherwise, stay far enough away. Not a bad plan Emmett."

Emmett beat down the urge to roll his eyes. Really, just because he might look and act the part of a dumb jock, didn't mean he was one. He nodded his head in the direction of the office. "Head over there now; see what they can do for you."

"Thanks, Emmett. It was a genuine smile that Edward flashed him before turning towards the office. The kind of smile that always made Emmett's stomach flutter, the pouty lips guaranteed to send his thoughts into the gutter.

Emmett made damn sure said thoughts were blocked before allowing his eyes to drift to the jean clad ass walking away from him. The spike of lust that shot through him was expected, and only years of practice kept the physical manifestation of his lust away, he could hide his thoughts from Edward, but an erection was a different story. Emmett licked his lips, allowing himself a few moments with his fantasies before shaking himself back into reality, realizing he had to get to class. He wished Edward luck silently, knowing he'd be heard, and hoping the sentiment would be appreciated.

Edward had felt Emmett's eyes on him the entire trip to the office. Although he didn't quite know what to make of it. Just before he reached the door he heard Emmett wish him luck, and smiled again at the supportive gesture, although his thoughts were quickly cut off again. He was still smiling when he pushed open the door to the tiny office. The hot, stuffy air hit his nose, filled with the scent of potted plants and the cheap perfume of the red headed secretary behind the desk. He almost cringed, really she didn't need to bathe in it, just one spray would have been more than enough. He ignored it as best he could, discouraged by the fact that he'd have to breathe if he wanted to have a conversation with her. The woman hadn't heard him come in, she was still busying herself with the papers scattered on her desk. "Mrs. Cope?"

"Oh!" She looked up startled, the surprise staying etched on her face at the appearance of one of the Cullens. "Hello Edward. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd be able to help me out with a problem."

"What kind of problem are you having Edward?"

Unconsciously his mouth set into a firm line, a scowl creasing his brow. "It's my schedule. It needs to be changed." He was being a little more short with her then was necessary, and Edward tried to reign it in a bit, having an attitude wasn't going to get her to agree to help him.

"What needs to be changed on your schedule? I believe you got all the classes you signed up for." The curiosity was evident in her tone, as well as a dose of suspicion.

Remembering to be more polite this time Edward voiced his request. "I was wondering if there was something I could do about Biology? Take something else instead. Maybe chemistry or physics?"

"Actually Edward, both those classes are pretty much full right now. I just don't think there's room for another student in either."

"I wouldn't be any trouble." He hated the fact that he was pleading with her now.

"I know that Edward, but still..."

"Could I drop the class instead?"

"Drop Biology?" She sounded shocked, and Edward didn't need to read minds to know what she was going to say next. "Why would you drop a class you're doing so well in? You've got the top mark out of all of the students. Besides, if you drop the class you won't have enough credits to graduate."

Edward sighed. "I'll catch up next year, it wouldn't be hard."

She bit her lip, uncertain, wanting to help the boy but there weren't really any options. "I think that's something you need to talk to your parents about."

Edward heard the door open behind him, but whoever it was, they were staying quiet, waiting their turn. He was desperate now, and even begging wasn't beneath him at this point. "Please Mrs. Cope. Isn't there something else that I could switch to? Anything? There has to be an open slot somewhere? Sixth hour Biology can't be the only option..."

Just then the door opened again, this time accompanied by a gust of wind. The scent hit him immediately, there was no mistaking it. It was her, Bella Swan. He turned, dark eyes glaring at her murderously. She actually took a step back, a flush creeping up her cheeks at the attention. He spun back around to face the secretary, not even bothering to wipe the look off his face. "Never mind then, I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help."

He stalked off then, both Bella and the other girl whose identity he didn't care about right at the moment moved out of the way, clearing a path. He went directly back to his car then, probably faster then was humanly possible without running. He slid into the driver's seat of the Volvo. Hands clenched tightly onto the steering wheel, until it creaked ominously beneath his fingers. Not wanting to destroy his car, Edward managed to loosen his grip, until his palms were barely resting on the leather, fingers curled slightly.

He stayed put for the remainder of the period, not willing to risk going back into the school for the rest of the day. Instead, he spent the hour attempting to school his face back into something that resembled normal. Edward was hoping Alice hadn't seen anything, was hoping that his sister had been so focused on watching Jasper's future that his own had slipped by her unnoticed. And judging by the fact that at no point in the last few hours had she come storming after him, Edward figured he was pretty safe.

He didn't know what he was going to do now though. Emmett's plan had been a good one, but that route obviously wasn't going to work out. What was he supposed to do about being near her now? How was he supposed to resist his desire to attack her? Hopefully Emmett would be able to come up with another plan. Edward choked on a laugh when he realized he was leaving planning up to his brother. Sure, Emmett wasn't dumb, he knew that. But Emmett's next plan would probably consist of just giving in and getting rid of temptation instead of trying to fight it, which wasn't something Edward was even going to let himself think about.

Edward was broken out of his thoughts by the arrival of his family. Emmett folded himself into the passenger seat, too large to squish himself into the backseat. Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie crammed themselves into the back. He barely waited until they were settled before pulling out of the parking lot, speeding the moment he hit the road leading out of Forks to their house. He could feel the stares of everyone on the back of his head, except for Emmett. He was determinedly looking out the window, already knowing from the tense set of Edward's shoulders and his absence from Spanish that things didn't go well for him.

Jasper in particular was staring at Edward, his head cocked slightly to the side, a questioning frown twisting his features. Edward's emotions had never been this all over the place before. Fear, shame, anger, misery, longing, and a burning hunger all fought for control of the normally level headed vampire, leaving a bitter taste in Jasper's mouth. He winced, trying to pull away from the wild emotions now threatening to overwhelm him as well.

Alice noticed the wince, immediately taking in where Jasper's gaze was focused. She concentrated herself now, focusing her sight on more than just Jasper. Even Rosalie had her attention turned to Alice, noticing the far off look in her eyes. Alice gasped a moment later, looking accusingly at the back of Edwards head. "You're leaving?"

Edward knew right away that the question was directed at him. He grit his teeth before answering, not sure how to respond. "Is that what I'm going to do? I didn't think I'd made up my mind yet." Before he spilled things to her that Alice hadn't seen yet he asked her, "And do you know why I'm leaving? Did you see that? Or for how long?"

Edward had been seriously considering leaving, of going up to Alaska. Tanya and her clan would hopefully be willing to put up with him for a bit. Although he'd be spending most of his time trying to avoid Tanya's advances. He always felt guilty for constantly rejecting her. He nodded, her silence confirming the fact that she hadn't seen anything concrete, that Alice had no idea what was going on. He opened his mouth, actually about to lie to her, to all of them, but he was cut off before he could say anything. "Damn it, Alice, it was supposed to have been a surprise."

Both Edward and Alice gave a confused, "Huh?" to Emmett's sudden exclamation, and everyone in the car turned their attention to the large brunette. Emmett had reacted without thinking, trying to keep Edward from spilling his guts. To keep him from being embarrassed, Emmett had shot off his mouth, and now had to come up with a suitable story. "I uh, I was going to take you on a hunting trip Edward. Just the two of us. I'd found a good spot up north and didn't want to go by myself. I was going to spring the idea on you this weekend, but Alice wrecked that now I guess." He shot Alice a glare, but it was half hearted, with no real heat behind the action.

Edward had caught on to what Emmett was doing right after his first moment of confusion. Only Jasper felt the wave of gratitude and love coming from Edward, directed at the brunette in the front seat. "Up north huh? Sounds like a plan to me Emmett. It'll be nice to get away for a bit." To Edward's ears his voice sounded falsely happy, the excitement faked, his words stiff and forced.

Emmett was obviously a much better actor then he was, as his reply seemed to be honestly pleased. "Great! Trip's on then and since the cat's already out of the bag, why don't we leave tonight?" He grinned widely, white teeth flashing, eyes not moving from Edwards face.

Edward tried to smile back, but it looked strained, put on only for show. "Missing a couple of days of school won't be a big deal." He shrugged one shoulder in what he hoped looked a nonchalant manner. "It's not like we won't still pass our classes."

The bronze haired vampire stole a glance in the rear-view mirror, taking a glance at his siblings. Rosalie looked like she bought the conversation, as she'd now stopped paying attention, her gaze once more out the window. Jasper and Alice were going to be harder to sell the story to. Edward knew that Jasper could feel just how messed up his emotions currently were, but as long as he kept it together, he also knew Jasper would stay quiet about it.

Alice was frowning, arms crossed against her tiny body. She wasn't buying it, the two of them were lying. Oh sure, now they were probably going to go hunting, but that wasn't what she'd originally seen. She'd been watching Edward's future, not Emmett's, so Edward shouldn't have known he was going anywhere. Even if Edward had read Emmett's mind, she should have seen both her brothers in her vision. But it had just been Edward, alone, surrounded by nothing but rocks and swirling snow, and he'd looked so sad. No, Edward had had another plan in mind before Emmett presented him with an alternative.

Alice huffed, nowhere near satisfied. She didn't like not knowing what was going on. Sulking, she looked down, noticing the chips in her nail polish that she was going to have to fix. She concentrated again, trying to see if it had changed, but she wasn't getting anything clear, everything was hazy, pictures flickering and changing too quickly for any sort of possibility to solidify. Edward's thoughts were too disorganized right now for it to make sense.

So Alice switched her focus to Emmett, since out of the two of them Emmett seemed to know what it was that he wanted. The images that flooded her mind made her grip her arms even tighter in surprise. The irritation slipped off her face, her pixie features softening, a smile emerging instead.

Edward pulled up to the house then, and Alice was first from the car, opening the door before the Volvo had even rolled to a stop. She uncrossed her arms, latching onto Jasper's sleeve instead, pulling him from the vehicle before slipping her hand into his and tugging him towards the house. He must not have been moving fast enough for her, because she tugged even harder. "Come on, Jasper. We're going upstairs. Now." He followed more willingly once he caught both the scent and feel of her sudden arousal, and the two of them disappeared in a flash into the house.

Climbing out of the car himself, noticing Edward do the same from the corner of his eye, Emmett stared after them, not sure what had just happened, only that he knew what was about to happen with the couple. He scratched the back of his head, fingers running over short locks. He turned to look at Edward, chuckling, a leer on his face. "Guess something set her off, huh guys?"

Apparently he was only talking to Edward since Rosalie had slipped away at some point while he'd been distracted. Edward too, didn't really look like he was listening; he was looking at the roof of the car, but his eyes were a million miles away. Emmett sighed, taking in the strange look on his brother's face. Leaving tonight was definitely going to be the right decision. "We'll leave after the sun goes down, that sound good to you?" There was no reply, no reaction to show he'd been heard at all. "Edward, did you hear me?" He accompanied his question with a light tap to the roof, the bang on the metal making Edward jump.

Edward snapped back to attention, embarrassed that he'd been caught spacing out. Emmett was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer when Edward had no clue what the question was in the first place. It was a good thing that he couldn't blush, because otherwise he'd be bright pink by now. He'd been so deep in his thoughts, how grateful he was to Emmett for helping him, how he loved him even more if that was possible, when the abuse to his car brought him back to himself.

Emmett apparently decided to take pity on Edward then, either that or he'd gotten fed up of waiting for an answer. He rolled his eyes before repeating his question." I asked you if leaving after the sun went down was cool with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll just leave all the planning to you, since you know where we're going." His brow creased in thought. "At least, assuming what you told everyone wasn't a complete lie."

"Naw, I really did find a great spot for hunting. Lots of grizzlies around, there are some real big ones too. We'll take my Jeep up there, there's no way the Volvo could make it through the terrain we're going to go through. And I don't want to just run the entire way." Emmett paused then, a look Edward couldn't identify flashing quickly through his dark eyes before it was gone. "Make sure you pack a bag with some clothes, I plan on staying in a motel when we aren't hunting, I don't feel like completely roughing it."

After Edward nodded in understanding Emmett closed the car door, and had just turned around when his brother's hesitant voice called out to him. "Hey, Em?"

He stopped to look at him, and was somewhat startled at what he saw, but he hid it behind a smile and a gruff, "Yeah?"

Edward looked unsure of himself, nervous, and Emmett could never remember him looking like that before. He opened his mouth to start saying something several times before closing his mouth again and staying silent, just staring. Emmett forced himself to stay patient, obviously there was something Edward wanted to say to him. Finally, not meeting his eyes, Edward spoke, voice barely a whisper, and if he wasn't a vampire Emmett never would have heard him. "Thank you, Emmett. I don't know what I'd do without you."

It wasn't what he'd wanted to say, he'd tried to tell Emmett that he loved him, but the words just wouldn't come. So this was the next best thing to totally confessing. There was that look again in Emmett's eyes before it disappeared just as quickly as before.

Emmett swallowed, touched by the words, not entirely sure how he should respond to that. He settled for the safe answer, not wanting Edward to get the wrong impression. "You're welcome Edward. You should know that I need you too." At those words Edward gave him another genuine smile, and he looked happier then Emmett had seen him in a long while, his whole face seemed to light up. If he'd been thinking properly, if he'd been using his brain for once, he would have left it at that. Because the next words out of his mouth effectively wiped that happiness off his beautiful face. "You're my brother; I'm supposed to take care of you." If it was possible, Edward went even paler at that, and he actually flinched, hurt evident in everything from his golden eyes, to his face, to his entire posture.

The sharp pang of disappointment was nothing compared to the pain and hurt that washed over him. He cursed himself a fool, for almost letting himself believe that Emmett might actually love him as a man, not just as a bother. He choked back the dry sob that tried to escape from a suddenly tight throat; he had to get a hold of himself. Damn it, this day had just made him entirely too emotional, normally he'd be able to handle this. Crushing disappointment when it came to Emmett was an everyday occurrence, he should be used to this. Come on, pull yourself together Edward, you don't need to scare Emmett away permanently.

Just a moment before Emmett was about to apologize, even if he wasn't quite sure for what, Edward's whole demeanor changed. In the blink of an eye it was almost like Emmett had imagined the hurt, Edward's normal nearly indifferent look was back.

Edward forced himself to say something, to not just run off and hide until he had total control over himself. With an empty smile that didn't reach his eyes he retorted with, "Well, that goes both ways. And since I'm technically older then you I'm pretty sure it should be me who takes care of you little brother."

Emmett snorted, relieved that some semblance of his Edward was back, even if he still wasn't quite himself. "Please, I'm bigger then you. We've already proved that I can own your ass, I'm pretty sure that makes you mine to take care of." It wasn't until the words were out of his mouth did he realize how bad that sounded, but it was too late to try and correct himself.

A crooked smile was Edwards only answer. He pocketed the keys to the Volvo, taking a couple steps closer to the house. He jerked his chin in the direction of his room. "I'm going to go pack that bag now. Just yell when you're ready to leave."

And with that he was gone, racing away as quick as possible. Once Emmett was sure Edward was gone and his thoughts were still blocked, he slapped a hand against his forehead, hard, muttering to himself as he stomped towards the garage. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Watch what you're saying, idiot."

Edward ran upstairs, just shy of slamming the door to his room shut behind him, but it still shook in its frame from the force. He leaned against the wood, feeling shaky. In case a vampire was able to have a panic attack, he slid down to sit on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest. The same six words kept repeating themselves in his head, again and again. Emmett's smug voice gloating, 'own your ass, makes you mine.' He couldn't shake the words from his head; they continually chased each other through his mind. Rationally, Edward knew he shouldn't take those words in the context he was thinking about, Emmett didn't mean them like that.

It was hard though, when his heart ached to believe he meant them the way they sounded. Edward brought his hands up to scrub at his eyes, even if he couldn't cry, his eyes still burned. He took deep, calming breaths, until finally, his emotions settled back to a tolerable level, and he felt more like himself again.

Dragging himself back to his feet, Edward emptied his backpack of all his school books, tossing them onto his desk. Once the bag was empty he wandered over to the closet, absently stuffing clothes inside, thoughts occupied with the coming trip. Edward only hoped that this was enough to distract him from Bella, the human had interrupted his life enough already. Plus he was worried about how he was going to manage around Emmett when they were alone and in such close quarters. Edward didn't exactly trust himself anymore; he was off balance, constantly teetering on the edge of his control.

His contemplating was interrupted by Emmett's shout from outside. "Come on, let's get going bro."

Instead of bothering with going through the house again, he simply jumped out the window, landing silently next to Emmett's Jeep. He tossed his bag into the back, seeing that his brother's stuff was already packed away. He grudgingly climbed into the passenger seat, knowing better then to argue about who was driving. It would only turn into a wrestling match that he was sure to lose, unless he cheated. Which, he realized with a slight pang, would have proven hard to do at this point in time. Emmett was still consciously blocking Edward from his thoughts. Eventually he was going to have to bring the subject up, he just didn't understand what was going on. More and more lately he'd been getting shut out, unable to hear any of his thoughts. It was really starting to bother him, what could Emmett possibly be hiding from him?

He dismissed his thoughts for now, knowing he'd only drive himself into a paranoid panic if he allowed himself to dwell on it. Besides, he wanted to try and actually enjoy this trip. It had been a while since just the two of them had gone on an extended hunting trip, normally they stayed closer to home.

Edward was jostled suddenly, and with a small jerk of surprise he realized that they were already on the road. And from the looks of things, they had been driving for a good twenty minutes already. He took a quick glance at Emmett, trying to determine if he'd been talked to at all while his mind had been elsewhere. Judging by the worry shining in his eyes, the tense set of his jaw, and the death grip he had on the steering wheel; there had definitely been attempts at conversation. The guilt crept in then, he didn't want to make Emmett worry about him, he didn't deserve that. Edward cleared his throat awkwardly, not sure what to say to announce his renewed presence, at the same time shifting in his seat.

Emmett's head snapped to the side to look at him. "Well look who decided to come back and join reality. Didn't realize I was that boring." His words were sarcastic, but Emmett wasn't able to hide the relief that flooded his features. Couldn't hide the fact that he relaxed his grip on the wheel, and no longer seemed to be trying to crush his teeth into dust.

"I'm sorry Em, I don't mean to space out on you like that, I'm just trying to deal with everything." He shrugged, not sure how else he could explain himself.

Emmett turned back to stare at the road, eyes not straying as he answered. "It's no big deal, really. I can understand the need to think." Edward watched his hands tighten on the wheel again briefly before relaxing. "Just try and give me some warning before it happens again, please. I don't like talking to myself for extended periods of time."

Edward knew that wasn't the problem, that Emmett wasn't mad at being ignored. But it was normal Emmett behavior to avoid talking about the real problem, the fact that Edward made him worry. "Got it, fair warning next time." Emmett sighed, hoping that was all Edward was going to say, but was proven wrong when his brother continued. "I'm sorry I made you worry and freaked you out."

Emmett always got the cutest little crinkle over his nose when he was annoyed, and there it was, right on time. Edward had to resist the urge to lean over and lick it, gripping the door instead to keep himself in place. The brunette groaned, irritation clear in the sound. "Am I really that transparent? Besides, couldn't you just avoid the subject like any other guy would? Geez, you're almost as bad as a chick sometimes."

Edward laughed, a smooth velvety sound. "Alright, alright, consider the subject dropped. I won't say another word about it."

Emmett jerked his head in a quick nod. "Good. Now, since I seem to finally have your attention, I figured I'd go over the plan for the night. We won't get where we're going until about two in the morning. There's a motel that we can stay at that's a few miles outside of town. I think we'll stay there for the rest of the night and go hunting sometime in the afternoon. Sound good?"

While he'd been talking, Emmett's posture had relaxed, one hand only on the wheel now, the other leaning casually on the window frame. He was slouched in his seat, all the tension drained from his frame. It looked like this trip might just be good for Emmett as well, give him the chance to let loose. "It sounds like you've got everything all planned out."

"Yep, I really was planning on going on this trip for the last couple of weeks. So all the arrangements were pretty much already made."

For the rest of the drive they both didn't talk, riding along in a comfortable silence. For the last fifty miles or so Emmett had turned off of the highway to a badly in need of repair road that seemed like little more than a trail. The Jeep bounced and shuddered its way along, and now Edward really was glad that they hadn't taken the Volvo, there would have been nothing left of the suspension after this.

Finally Edward could hear the sound of a small town up ahead, and nearly sighed in relief. It wasn't that the ride was uncomfortable, it was simply annoying to be jostled around like that. His relief was short lived as the streets in town could hardly qualify as better. There was definitely less bouncing, but the shocks were sure getting a workout still. It was only decades of practice at having patience did Edward not start whining when it became evident that Emmett wasn't going to stop here, but continue out through the other side of town.

Emmett must have caught something from his expression though, because he laughed suddenly. "Don't worry, it won't be much longer. The motel's actually just outside the town by a couple miles."

The grin stayed on Emmett's face until he pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later. The building looked a lot better than Edward was expecting, usually if they stayed in a motel it was some rundown little hole. Of course, he should probably reserve judgment for after he'd seen the inside, it might only look good from the outside.

Edward climbed out of the Jeep, eager to move again after so many hours of sitting. They each grabbed their bags from the back, slinging them over a shoulder. Edward let his brother lead the way into the front office, willing to let him take charge of the accommodations. Emmett pushed through the door first, the bell jangling to alert the lady behind the counter, who looked like she'd been taking a nap until they entered.

She sat up straight in the chair, blinking her eyes at the new arrivals, before pushing out of the chair to greet them. She was older, maybe late forties to early fifties, her once dark brown hair streaked through with silver throughout.

From the look on Emmett's face, the amusement hovering on the edge of his features, Edward had a feeling that he was in the mood to play with her. Edward had to suppress a sigh at the realization that he'd most likely have to perform damage control in a minute.

Edward froze when one of Emmett's arms wrapped snugly around his shoulders and tugged him in against his side. His brain shut down completely in the next moment, both from Emmett's words and his actions. The hand laying on Edward's shoulder moved, fingers stroking lightly up and down his neck as he addressed the clerk. "We're going to need a room for a couple of nights." Emmett's head tilted to look at Edward's profile. "How does a king sound? Think we can afford it, baby?"

In a detached corner of his mind, Edward noted the look of disgust that flitted across the clerk's face as she stared wide eyed at them. However, nearly all of his focus was centered on Emmett. The feel of his strong arm wrapped securely around him, the barely there brush of fingers against his throat, the fact that his entire left side was pressed along Emmett's hard body. And his voice, the smooth purr in his tone as he called Edward baby.

He didn't trust himself to speak, afraid that if he tried to voice a protest or some sort of denial, that the opposite would actually come spilling out of his mouth. So Edward stayed silent, although internally, he was close to freaking out. This was so close, so close to being everything that he wanted. Edward was trying hard to tell himself that this wasn't real. His heart and mind weren't agreeing on the matter though. His mind was jabbering at him to pull away, that this was teasing that he couldn't handle, that would only hurt him.

His heart, on the other hand, was pushing for him to soak up every second of this that Emmett would allow. He started to tremble, completely overwhelmed, not sure how much longer he was going to last before he snapped and did something he was going to regret. Like kissing the sarcastic mouth that was so close to his own. Luckily, any drastic outcome from his reaction was avoided, as in the next second Emmett let him go, stepping away.

He burst out laughing, taking in the horrified expression on the woman's face, deciding to take pity on her. "No, no, I'm just kidding. A room with two beds will be perfect."

Her expression cracked a little, relief still mixed with suspicion. "So the two of you aren't...lovers?" She choked the last word out, obviously struggling with the concept.

Still chuckling, Emmett answered. "Nope. He's my little brother. Sorry to mess with you." He glanced at Edward, almost daring him to refute the little brother comment.

Emmett's good mood vanished when he caught the look on Edward's face. He'd felt the slight shaking earlier, and had assumed he'd been suppressing his own laughter. But the frozen, stony expression had him second guessing that. Shit. He hoped he hadn't managed to piss Edward off. He'd only been having a little fun, had only wanted to feel that lithe body pressed against him for a brief time, stroke that smooth, tempting skin and pretend for a moment that he really could call him baby.

It looked like Edward had been shaking in anger though, not appreciating the implication that they were together. The jingling of keys brought Emmett's attention back to the clerk. She was dangling a set in front of her impatiently, so Emmett reached out to grab them, tucking them into his jeans pocket. "You two can stay in room eleven. Just walk around the building to the far side, it's the first room around the corner."

Emmett smiled at her charmingly, "Thank you ma'am."

He turned and strode back outside then, purposefully avoiding looking at Edward, not even waiting to see if his brother was following him. He made a beeline right for the room, following her instructions, not bothering to move the Jeep around. It looked like she still didn't trust them, she'd put them in the room as far away from the office as possible. It definitely looked like she didn't quite believe their brothers story. Fishing the keys out of his pocket, he shoved them into the lock, maybe a little harder then was strictly necessary.

He was mad at himself though, for not thinking about how Edward was going to react before he'd pulled his dumb stunt. He pushed the door open, not even bothering to take in the decor, just angrily tossing his bag at the closest bed, watching it bounce from the strength of the impact.

Edward had followed behind Emmett, although he trailed behind him by about six feet, not wanting to get too close. He still felt much too twitchy, still close to destroying the friendship he had with Emmett by doing something rash. The other vampire was mad, that much Edward could tell, although he wasn't sure why. He knew his face had stayed impassive, that he'd managed to hide all his longing behind a mask.

He slipped through the door after Emmett had gotten out of the way. He peered at the interior, impressed by how nice it looked. It was modeled after a cabin, all wooden walls and floors, a large, soft looking throw rug tossed between the two beds. Edward made his way over to the farthest bed, dropping his bag by the nightstand, and lowering himself to sit on the edge of the bed. He peered at Emmett from under his lashes, watching as the brunette started pacing back and forth, still not looking at him.

Emmett stopped abruptly, right in front of Edward, spinning to face him. "Look Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad, I was just screwing with her."

The apology cut through him for two different reasons. First, that Emmett would even think playing a joke like that would irritate him. Secondly, to have him admit it was only a joke and didn't mean anything, was a blow. Edward forced himself not to think about his personal reaction to what Emmett had done. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know how Edward felt. If played on anyone else, the joke would have been harmless, he would have even found it funny.

Edward smiled, recalling the look on her face was enough for his smile to be tinged with real humor. He couldn't bring himself to laugh though, not at his own expense. "I'm not mad Emmett, I was surprised, that's all." It wasn't a lie, he'd definitely been surprised, he was just omitting the sheer amount of lust that had hit him after the surprise wore off.

Emmett visibly sagged in relief. "So the whole gay thing didn't weird you out?"

There was something odd with the way Emmett had asked the question. It made Edward pause, biting his tongue on the easy answer he'd been about to give. Edward took a good look at him, noting how anxious he was, even if Emmett was trying to hide it. He was clenching his jaw, the crinkle back between his eyes. Edward could tell that his brother was actually waiting intently for his answer, that he really wanted to know what he thought. So Edward decided to be completely honest with him. Well, maybe not completely honest, but he'd tell him the truth about his sexual preferences. Then that much at least would be known, would be aired out between them.

The silence stretched between them, until it was just shy of uncomfortable, Edward trying to decide where he wanted to start. He'd had his mind made up just seconds ago, but found his courage floundering. His eyes dropped to stare at his lap as he started to talk, his voice quiet and subdued. "No Emmett, the gay part doesn't bother me at all. I think that would make me a hypocrite." Pale fingers twisted together nervously.

"Because the thing is Emmett, it's not a woman that I've been looking for, to spend the rest of my life with, for all these years. I'm not attracted to girls, I guess I never have been. I mean, sure, I can still appreciate a beautiful woman, can still look at them and think 'Wow, she's really pretty,' but it just doesn't have _that_ effect on me. It's nothing compared to how I feel when I'm around or see a good looking guy."

Edward paused, mentally adding; _The way I feel when I'm around you._ "So basically, what I'm trying to tell you Emmett is that, how did you put it, 'the whole gay thing' doesn't weird me out because…well, because I am gay." At this point he'd rather face the Volturi then find out what Emmett thought of him now. Edward gathered his remaining courage, swallowed once before looking up, his nervousness obvious.

When Edward had started talking, it had taken Emmett a couple seconds to actually tune into the words, he'd been concerned by how resigned, how lost Edward had looked. His stomach gave a lurch when his brain finally registered what he was hearing, what Edward was starting to confess. He was glad Edward wasn't actually looking at him right now, it probably would have hurt his brother's feelings if he had been.

Emmett was sure his mouth was hanging open, that he was gaping at Edward in astonishment. Now this, this wasn't at all what Emmett had been thinking Edward was going to say. The thoughts and images now twisting through his mind were less then innocent. He was having flashes of Edward, naked, his hands running over that smooth, pale flesh. Picturing those soft, full lips wrapped around his cock. Imagining the feel of long, lean legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into that perfect little ass. Emmett had to visibly shake his head to rid himself of his perverse thoughts, stamping down his arousal. He didn't think a hard on was going to help at the moment.

Luckily, he'd managed to arrange his face into a neutral mask before Edward had looked up at him, but all his effort was nearly undone at the emotion swimming in those gold eyes. The sudden need to crush his brother in a hug was startling. He looked so fragile, so vulnerable now that he'd let Emmett in on his secret. Emmett had to tread carefully here, he had a feeling something inside Edward would break if he said the wrong thing here. He was just going to have to keep it simple. "Okay."

Edward waited, expecting something else to follow the single word, but Emmett didn't continue, only shrugged his shoulders. Confusion creased his brow, although some of the worry knotting his stomach eased. "Okay? That's all you've got to say? Just okay?" He wasn't calm enough apparently, as his voice was definitely tinged a little on the hysterical side.

Crap, simple wasn't going to cut it, Edward was going to work himself into a panic unless he talked this out, spelt out for his brother just how much this situation didn't bother him. Edward just had to realize that. "Yeah, Edward. It's okay. Knowing this doesn't change the way I think about you." _Liar_. His mind whispered at him. _This changes everything. Now you actually think you might have a chance with him._ "You're still Edward. Still my anti-social, brooding, mind reading brother. The only difference now is that you don't like boobs as much as I thought you did five minutes ago."

Hope was starting to war with the lost look in his eyes, and Emmett noted that he was no longer twisting his fingers anxiously. "It really doesn't matter to you, does it?" He barely breathed out the question.

Emmett grinned, finding Edward's amazement kind of entertaining. "Nope. Not one bit." The grin slipped from his face though, once he realized something. "There is something about this whole conversation that does bug me though."

Edward tensed again, still unsure about where Emmett was going with this, again cursing the fact that his brother was intent on keeping him out of his head. "What exactly bugs you?" Edward was proud that his voice didn't shake at all, that at least he sounded like he was holding together, even if in reality he was close to falling apart at the seams.

"Did you really think I would change the way I feel about you if I knew you liked guys? Did you really think that was going to upset me? Didn't you trust me?"

Guilt washed over him, hearing the hurt in Emmett's voice. He hadn't meant to hurt him, that was the last thing he had wanted to do. "Of course I trust you Emmett. I just…I guess I was just scared. I mean, we were all born and raised in a time where my preferences wouldn't be looked upon very kindly. I wasn't sure what you were going to think, and I suppose I talked myself into believing that keeping you in the dark would be better. Better then risk losing you, risk having you disgusted whenever you looked at me, having you hate me. I'm sorry, I should have known better."

"You really should have known better." The words came out harsher, sounded sharper, then Emmett had intended, as he watched Edward flinch. Keeping tighter control on his words this time he continued. "But I can't blame you either, I can understand being scared to tell someone something that important, that big of a secret."

"So can you forgive me? And we'll just forget about this whole little episode, and get back to trying to enjoy the trip."

Emmett's response was instant, there was no need to think about what to say. "There's nothing to forgive. You didn't do anything wrong." He clapped a hand down on Edward's shoulder. "How about as a distraction we go hunting now? Screw the plan, we can lounge around here later, once we're full."

Edward was pretty sure he would have agreed to any plan that involved getting out of this room, away from such close quarters. He nodded, shifting to stand up, careful to avoid touching his brother, even as he was careful to make his movements look as natural as possible. He was the first one out the door this time, and was striding away towards the woods without knowing if it was the right direction. Once he was off the parking lot, feet crunching on twigs and leaves, surrounded by trees, Edward stopped. This was better, this was his escape from reality. For the next little while he could distance himself from his human side, allowing instinct to drive him instead, give in to the animal always wanting to claw its way out of his chest.

He knew Emmett understood that, knew that his brother felt the same way, which was why they enjoyed going on hunts together. Emmett took off running then, knowing Edward would have no problem shadowing him. They had a bit of a run ahead of them before they were deep enough in the woods for the grizzlies to be around. Right now they were still too close to the town, the bears would be smart enough to stay away.

Edward kept up with Emmett no problem, not passing him only because he didn't know where they were going. After nearly twenty minutes, he watched as Emmett's easy gait changed, as his every step now seemed deliberate. He changed his steps to match, moving silently now, crouched slightly. Edward paid attention to what was going on around him, using his senses to listen to more than just the wind rushing past him as he ran. A grin crossed his face as he heard them up ahead.

He could hear the heartbeats up ahead, two of them, the bears angry and fighting. He could hear the thud of huge paws hitting the ground, claws scraping through dirt, hitting each other, and their roars of rage. Edward breathed deeply, taking in both the scent of the forest around him and that of their prey. The smell wasn't right, wasn't what he'd been craving since first scenting the human yesterday afternoon, but it was still enough for his thirst to resurface. The dull burn that started in his throat, narrowing his focus until all he could concentrate on was the steadily thumping heart he was closing in on.

He was only dimly aware of Emmett running along behind him. Now that he knew where his prey was, there was no need to check his speed, and he'd easily out distanced his brother. Within moments he was close enough to spot the animals, their large brown bodies sticking out in the surrounding green. His sight narrowed on the smaller one's neck, instinct whispering that Emmett was entitled to the larger of the two. They were locked together, too embroiled in their own battle to take notice of Edward, wouldn't have seen him in time even if they had been paying attention. Coiling his muscles, Edward sprang, crashing into his target, tackling him with enough force to send them tumbling across the mess of leaves and pine needles.

That first contact did nothing more then manage to piss the grizzly off, who tried to swipe at Edward in retaliation. It was no use though; the bear was no match for a vampires speed. Even if it had managed to land the strike, those vicious claws would have done nothing more then glance against his skin, unable to actually hurt him. Behind him he could hear the other bear's bellow of pain as Emmett connected with his own target.

Edward was tempted to draw the fight out, but even if he did, it wouldn't be much of one. Besides, his thirst was growing in strength, Emmett was already feeding, the smell of the bear's blood strong in the air. He pulled his lips back, baring his teeth, a snarl ripping from his throat. Hands reached out to grab onto thick muscle and fat, binding the animal more effectively then steel bands, before sinking his teeth into the grizzly's neck, tearing through fur, flesh, and muscle with no actual effort. The blood that flooded his mouth was hot, tasted as close to perfect as he was going to get. He swallowed, drinking greedily, eyes slipping closed in pleasure.

That proved to be his mistake, since apparently his subconscious mind was more fixated on Bella then he realized. The coarse fur under his fingers seemed to disappear, changing to pale, warm, fragile skin. Her remembered scent swirled around him again, burning through his system, inflaming his blood lust. Edward could picture it perfectly, her soft pliant body held in his hands, hair spilling across his arm, fanning out behind her as he tipped her further back. The taste of that enchanting blood as he drank from her, not stopping even as her heart beat fluttered, slowing until it finally stopped and she lay limp in his arms. Reality crashed back down around him then, and Edward dropped the dead bear with a short yell, horrified with himself. Blinking to get the last of the images out of his head, he stumbled backwards a couple steps, his usual grace missing.

Emmett was at his side immediately, the sharp tang of Edward's fear breaking into his concentration, sending a wave of protectiveness through him, a powerful urge to protect what was his. Angry eyes searched for the cause of Edward's fear, but couldn't find anything amiss. Emmett fought to wrestle his instincts back under control, fought to bury his sudden possessive nature towards Edward. Once he was reasonably sure that he could manage actual words and not just snarl unintelligently, Emmett spoke. "What's wrong, Edward?" His voice still had an obvious growl underlining his words, but at least they came out properly.

Edward wiped shaking hands on his jeans, trying to rid himself of the lingering feeling of soft skin cooling under his grip. "Shit, Emmett, this isn't working. This just made it worse, I could picture it, feel it like it was actually happening!"

He tried playing dumb, hoping that he was misunderstanding what Edward was talking about. "Like what was happening?"

Edward either didn't notice his skirting the subject, or decided not to comment on his apparent ignorance. "It was her Emmett, I'd had myself so convinced that it was Bella I was drinking from, it seemed too real."

"No." It was all he could manage to get out, as his brain tried desperately to think of  
something meaningful to say, something that would calm his distressed brother.

"This isn't good Emmett. I'm still thinking about her and we're gone, we're not even close to Forks. If I can't even hunt without picturing her, then there's no way that I'll be able to go back home. Faced with the real thing, I'd kill her for sure."

It felt like someone was squeezing his chest, that was the effect Edward's words had on him. He couldn't let that happen, Edward had to come home, they were a family, and Emmett needed him. "No, Edward! That is not going to be an option. You can't leave."

Edward looked like he was in pain, he looked miserable when he answered. "I don't want to leave, I just don't think I'm going to have much of a choice."

"No." He couldn't seem to stop saying that, even though the denial wasn't helping at all. "There's got to be something else that we can do. I promise you Edward, I'll think of something, you're not going to have to leave."

Edward laughed then, but there was no humor to it, it was a bitter, discouraged sound. "I wish I could believe that Emmett. Forks is home for me, it's where my entire family is, but I'm trying to be realistic here." Edward looked down at the bear at his feet, giving a shudder. "I'm going to head back to the motel for now, I'm done hunting for the day. You can stay out here if you want, you don't have to come back with me."

Emmett shook his head, turning to head back to the motel. "No, I'm good for now." He didn't mention the fact that his appetite had completely disappeared with the first whiff of his brother's fear.

Edward raced through the trees, running full out, wanting to get back so he could hide himself away. Emmett followed him, but at a much more leisurely pace in comparison. He was too busy thinking to run too fast, chances are he would have run head first into a tree. There was one solution he could think of that would help Edward, but no, that was too ridiculous, he couldn't bring that up. So he tried to come up with something else, but nothing short of killing the girl was going to work. Emmett didn't have a problem with that, he'd do anything if it stopped the torment of his brother. He also knew though, that was something Edward would never allow, that even her life was important and shouldn't be destroyed.

It all kept coming back to the one last possibility, the one that would have streaked a blush across his face if he was capable. Emmett had no problem with the idea, especially after their earlier conversation, but he still didn't know if Edward would accept. The trees were starting to thin, the motel was visible through the gaps, although Edward was nowhere in sight. Steeling his resolve, Emmett made up his mind, deciding to bring the subject up. He'd try anything if it meant he could keep Edward close to him.


	2. Chapter 2

He'd been worried for a minute, unsure whether Edward would just continue to run, but his scent returned to their room. When he opened the door, Emmett found the older vampire pacing, striding the length of the room before spinning and coming back towards him. Edward didn't even acknowledge his entrance, he was that deep in thought. "Edward." He continued to be ignored, so he had to try again, with a little more volume. "Edward!"

He jerked to a stop, wild looking eyes fixing on him. "Sit down Edward. There's something I want to talk to you about, and it'll be easier if you aren't attempting to wear a hole in the carpet."

The seriousness of Emmett's voice was what Edward listened to, sinking once more onto the bed. Emmett almost chickened out, staring into the hopeful, earnest face of his brother, but he gathered all his nerve before clearing his throat. "I don't know what the best way to say this is going to be, so I'm just going to plough my way through it. All I ask is that you don't say or do anything until I finish, because if I get interrupted I'm not sure I'll be able to get started again."

To be honest, Emmett fully expected to have Edward punch him when he got through with this. "So, there's one more thing that I know should be able to help you keep your control around the human." He chewed on his lower lip nervously, unsure how to start. "I thought about this as hard as I could, and there are no alternatives."

Emmett made sure he was looking at Edward when he kept going. "We both know there's one other vampire close to us that has constant control issues. And you know as well as I do what it is that helps him out when he's feeling really off balance."

Realization was starting to dawn in those honey eyes, along with shock and surprise, but so far nothing negative that Emmett could see, so he continued, spelling it out. "You know Alice helps Jasper. That she's always dragging him off for sex whenever she sees something bad in Jasper's future." He ran a hand over his head, rubbing the short spikes at the back of his head. Another quick glance to check Edward's mood, which hadn't gone any further south, and Emmett waded into the whole point of this conversation.

"So I have a proposal for you, and I'm hoping you're not going to hit me for it." With one last deep breath, Emmett forced himself to keep talking. "I can help you like that. Like how Alice helps Jasper. With the whole sex to calm you thing."

Emmett winced internally at how that ended up coming out, but the suggestion was out there now, everything else was up to Edward. Who, judging by the whole wide eyed, shell shocked expression, had not been expecting anything like that to have come out of his mouth. Edward was silent, not talking, not moving, not even breathing. He was completely frozen, and Emmett was going to reach out and touch him, but changed his mind before his hand did more then twitch at his side. Emmett frowned, apparently the idea of sleeping with him was horrible enough to have broken something in his brother's head.

Emmett didn't know it, but it was the exact opposite reason then what he thought for the state Edward was currently in. Edward would have believed he was hearing things, that his mind was simply supplying him with words that he wanted to hear, but he'd been watching. His eyes had been following as Emmett's lips moved, and the words had matched the movements, so unless he was hallucinating, this was real.

Emmett really was offering himself as the solution to the problem, was really offering to give him half of what he'd been wanting for decades. He knew it was only half of what he'd been wanting, wasn't naïve enough to believe that Emmett was offering to love him as well. At least as anything more then the brotherly love that had led him to make the proposal in the first place.

Could he let himself do this? What Emmett was suggesting worked well for Jasper, anytime he was too on edge Alice would drag him away for a bit and he'd come back under control of himself. He'd just wanted this for so long, had been alone for so long, and this was almost too good to be true. More and more lately, he'd been craving the touch of someone else's hands, craving the closeness that sex could bring, wanted that connection with another person. And above anyone else, Emmett was the person Edward wanted to share those feelings with.

Really, Edward had known what his answer was going to be the moment Emmett had spoken those words. If he told Emmett no, guaranteed he would regret the choice someday, where as if he agreed, there was less of a chance to regret. Not to say he wasn't probably going to get hurt once this came to an end, but Edward was willing to take a chance. Willing to try and use this to his advantage, and maybe, just maybe, get Emmett to fall in love with him as well.

Emmett had just opened his mouth to tell Edward to forget it, to ignore him for suggesting something so crazy, when he was beaten to it. "Okay."

He was confused for a few seconds, his response from earlier thrown back at him, before he realized that Edward was agreeing with him. "Okay?"

"Yeah, we can try things your way, see if it helps me."

"You'd really want to sleep with me?"

Edward laughed, "It's not like you're ugly Emmett." Far from it in fact. "You make it sound like I'm the one doing you a favor by agreeing to this, not the other way around."

Now that Emmett had been granted permission to touch, he couldn't help it, he had to reach out to Edward. Edward didn't move as his hand grazed his cheekbone, brushing the backs of his fingers against that marble white skin. His hand trailed through bronze spikes at the side of his head before shifting to cup Edward's face in his palm. Edward's lack of reaction was starting to worry Emmett, but finally his eyes slid closed, face tilting to press his cheek more firmly onto Emmett's hand. His lips had parted slightly when he'd moved, Emmett's eyes had zeroed in on the slight change. He couldn't resist, it was just too tempting. He swept his thumb over that full bottom lip before leaning down to steal his first kiss.

Edward reacted with surprising enthusiasm, lips pressing back harder, his hands coming up to twist in Emmett's t-shirt, bunching the material in his fists. Emmett took his parted lips as an invitation, tongue slipping inside to tangle with Edwards. Arousal hit Emmett then, the taste of his brother in his mouth enough to make him hard. Emmett took control of the kiss, a small thrill going through him as Edward submitted willingly, instantly relaxing in his hold as Emmett's arms came up to surround him.

Edward was still having a hard time believing this was really happening. When Emmett had first touched him, he hadn't wanted to move; afraid Emmett would come back to his senses and realize what he was doing. He couldn't help himself though, he'd longed for Emmett's touch for so long that he couldn't remain still. He'd moved into the touch, relishing the feeling of Emmett's large hand on him. The thumb running over his lip had startled him, the tenderness of the gesture was unexpected. His eyes had flown open again when Emmett kissed him. At that first press of lips against his, Edward let go of the last of his reservations, forgetting all his concerns, willing to lose himself in the experience.

Emmett's hands didn't stay put once he had them wrapped around Edward. They wandered across his back, tracing along muscles in his shoulders, skimming down his sides, pressing lightly against the small of his back. Impatient, the brunette tugged at the hem of Edward's long sleeved shirt, pushing it up to expose a flat, pale expanse of skin. Edward shivered as long fingers brushed across his stomach, circling his belly button before toying with the sparse hairs leading in a trail downwards. He refused to relinquish his brother's lips long enough to completely pull off the shirt. He growled into the kiss, grabbing hold of the shirt before simply ripping it off, the fabric not standing a chance against his strength.

He yanked the tattered pieces off Edward's arms, his hands following the path the shirt went, stroking over smooth flesh, which trembled under his touch. Tossing the remains of the shirt onto the floor, Emmett's hands found their places on Edward's arms again. Starting from deceptively fragile feeling wrists, he slid his hands up, over lightly muscled but still thin biceps, fingers fanning out once he made it to narrow shoulders. Emmett growled again, the deep rumble loud in the otherwise quiet of the room.

Apparently his growl had a rather strong effect on Edward. The other man shuddered at the sound, a moan slipping out of his mouth. A moan that sounded just obscene in that velvety tone. Still resting his hands on Edward's shoulders, he pushed, not letting up until the older vampire fell back on top of the mattress, his legs still hanging off the edge. Emmett finally allowed their lips to separate, not following Edward down. He jerked his head in the direction of the head board. "Move up, I want you on the bed properly."

Edward stared at him with eyes that had darkened, but with a different type of hunger then Emmett was used to seeing. He pushed himself up the mattress, drawing his legs up onto the bed, at the same time kicking off his shoes. He leaned against the pillows, which propped him up enough to show off his now bared torso. Emmett swallowed, eyes eagerly taking in the sight before him. He was confused when he saw the uncertainty cross Edward's face. He looked self conscious, an expression that had no right to belong on his beautiful brother's face. "What…?" He'd started to ask what was wrong but stopped himself instead, not sure if Edward was going to want to share what was going on inside his head.

Edward chewed at his bottom lip, and the action distracted Emmett briefly before he started talking, and it took all of Emmett's concentration to follow the words. "I'm not, I mean…I wasn't exactly healthy when Carlisle turned me…I know I'm kind of scrawny."

Climbing up onto the bed, Emmett straddled the smaller man, hands going to hold onto a thin waist. He leaned down to give Edward a reassuring kiss, before pulling back, shaking his head slightly. "That's something I actually like about you Edward, the fact that you're smaller. There's nothing wrong with the way you look." Noticing the argument Edward was about to give, Emmett cut him off. "And I can promise you I'm not just saying this to make you feel better."

He ran his heated gaze over the slight frame beneath him, hands tightening their grip. "I definitely like what I'm looking at." The disbelief was still warring with acceptance, so Emmett sighed. "What do I need to say to get you to believe me? What words do you need to hear?"

Hands skimmed up Edward's side, trailing over just visible ribs, moving up to come to rest on his chest, fingers stopping to gently roll flat brown nipples between thumb and forefinger. Edward hissed softly, arching up into the touch. "Stunning. Beautiful. Perfect. Take your pick Edward, all of them describe you, and I mean every one of them as well."

It was Edward whose lips found his this time, and Emmett took it as a good sign that he was taking the lead, that maybe his words had actually gotten through to his stubborn brother. There was a feeling of desperation in Edward's kiss though, in the hands that scrabbled against his back, pulling at his t-shirt, trying to get if off. Edward's hips thrust upwards, looking for friction, the hard bulge in his jeans pressing against Emmett's hip. Emmett pulled back far enough to separate himself from those searching lips, one hand shifting to push Edward's body firmly into the mattress. As soon as their lips were no longer touching, Edward whimpered low in his throat, it was almost a whine.

"Whoa, slow down there Edward. We've got all the time we want to do this, so take it easy baby." The term of endearment slipping from his mouth before he realized he was doing it, it sounded too natural to refer to Edward that way. Emmett took pleasure in the knowledge that for tonight at least, he could get away with it.

Edward's breaths were coming fast, nearly panting, and he realized he was moving too fast even before Emmett had told him. But Emmett's touch had made him hard, his erection pushing against the restricting denim, it was driving him crazy, he wanted more. His cock had twitched when Emmett called him baby, even as his heart seemed to swell at the endearment. He didn't care how desperate he looked, he needed Emmett right now, couldn't wait any longer, and was willing to beg for it. "Please Emmett. I want you to touch me, I need you. Please."

Emmett growled at the pleading whine in Edward's voice, already knowing he was going to give in, that he could deny Edward nothing. He whispered his reply into Edward's collarbone as he bent to kiss and nip at the defined ridge of bone. "Anything. Anything for you."

Wanting to give his brother what he was willing to beg for, Emmett sped up his plans, reaching for Edward's belt with one hand, the other cupping his erection, squeezing slightly. Edward moaned again, and the sound of it shot straight to Emmett's cock, he could definitely get used to hearing that. Large but deft fingers got the belt undone, slipping it free from the belt loops. He briefly entertained the idea of using the stiff leather to bind Edward's hands, even if it wouldn't hold him. He discarded the idea for now, hopefully it was something he could bring up for another time. He tossed the belt behind him, quickly undoing the jeans before tugging them off slim hips, sliding his hand under the waistband of his boxers as well. Edward lifted up so he could slip them off easier, leaving all of the smaller man bared to look at.

Edward swallowed as Emmett tossed the rest of his clothing haphazardly over his shoulder, not caring where they landed, even going so far as to reach behind him to remove Edward's socks. Emmett's eyes raked over his exposed body, and he felt another wave of self consciousness before remembering the brunette's words from earlier and calming down, realizing that for whatever reason, Emmett did find him attractive. Besides, the sheer amount of lust he could read in his brother's eyes eliminated any insecurities, not to mention he could feel Emmett's hard length pressed against him.

His breath hitched as Emmett ran a finger along his erection, almost cautiously touching him, even as his lips continued to map out his chest. Emmett licked a trail up his throat, sucking at the exact place his pulse would be beating wildly had he been human still. A strangled, "Emmett please." left his lips as he continued to only tease him, the hand playing with him continuing with only the lightest of barely there strokes, nothing firm enough to ease the ache throbbing between his legs.

Emmett chuckled into soft skin, amused by how impatient Edward was, how much he wanted him. In a swift movement, Emmett slid down Edward's body, at the same time taking a good grip on his cock, stroking firmly from root to tip, hand slipping easily along its path, aided by the precome already leaking from the tip. Edward's head tilted back, thumping against the headboard, mouth falling open with a whimper. His brother's scent was surrounding Emmett, the heady smell of his arousal making him harder then he thought possible, making him dizzy with lust.

With a wicked grin, he wondered what other sounds he could manage to wrench from Edward's throat. Without warning he closed his mouth over his length, swallowing him down as far as he could manage. Which, admittedly, might not have been the best, he wasn't exactly used to doing this. Usually he was the one receiving the blow job, not the one giving one. Emmett had never bothered sucking off very many of the other guys he'd ever been with, had never wanted to. But with Edward it was different, he wanted to hold nothing back, wanted Edward to feel good more then he wanted his own pleasure.

A keening moan left Edward as Emmett's lips wrapped around him. This wasn't something that he'd been expecting, it didn't seem like something his macho brother would do. A slick tongue ran along the underside of his shaft, tracing upwards in a random pattern to swirl around the head, collecting the wetness at the end. When Emmett started sucking in earnest, Edward forced his neck to obey him, gaining enough control to open eyes he hadn't realized were shut and look down at Emmett. His hips jerked at the sight of his larger brother nestled between his thighs, the sight of his dick disappearing into that sarcastic mouth.

Emmett was staring at him as well, eyes focused on his pleasure twisted features. When he realized Edward was watching him he upped the ante a bit. He started bobbing his head up and down. Dragging his mouth up to circle just the head, he paused for a moment, letting Edward take in the sight of his length glistening with spit, before slowly lowering himself back down, inch by inch, until his nose was buried in coarse hair. He sucked hard, ignoring the odd feeling of Edward sliding deep into his throat, swallowing to tighten his muscles around him. Edward gave a choked off cry, hips bucking, trying to force himself deeper, even if that was physically impossible.

When Emmett pulled back until he was only sucking the tip, tongue wrapping around the crown, Edward whined, thrusting his hips upwards, trying to bury himself back into that warm, wet mouth. Emmett gripped his brother's pale thighs, holding him down to the mattress, not wanting Edward to have control of the pace or depth at which he worked. Edward tried futilely to push upwards, but Emmett was stronger, able to keep him in place with little effort. Once Edward seemed to realize that nothing further was going to happen until he stopped moving, he settled down, going still under Emmett's hands.

With one hand still pinning Edward down, the other moved to take hold of the base of Edward's shaft, gripping firmly, slowly drawing his hand up, and rubbing his thumb along the ridge of the head, before stoking back down. He lowered his mouth again, taking him in about halfway, his hand wrapping around the remainder of his cock. He sucked hard, hollowing his cheeks to increase the suction. Edward was trembling under him, breath escaping in harsh little pants. Hands that had been balled into fists came up to grab at Emmett, fingers sliding and flexing over his skull, letting out a frustrated groan when he couldn't grab hold of the just a little too short hair covering Emmett's head. He settled for keeping his hands resting lightly on the brunette's scalp, rubbing over the short fuzz.

Emmett started stroking in addition to sucking, his hand sliding slickly in a slow teasing rhythm along satin flesh. Edward's whole body was tingling, the pleasure coiling tighter in his belly, ready to let go at anytime. Edward had learned his lesson, knowing better then to move this time, although his hips were still unconsciously moving in tiny little circles. Emmett's hand picked up speed, stroking faster, harder, until he could feel Edward shuddering beneath him.

He licked around the tip at every upwards pull of his lips, tongue swirling around, lapping up the precome leaking copiously. Edward tasted even better then he smelled, the intoxicating flavor making him want even more, wanting to taste all that Edward had to give. He sped up his rhythm even more, head bobbing faster, tongue pressing firmly along the underside with every upwards motion. The hand that had been holding Edward down released him, sliding across the soft skin of his inner thigh to trail over to even softer balls, sprinkled with downy fine hairs. Emmett cupped them easily in a hand, massaging lightly, rolling them around in his palm.

Edward's gasps and moans had been changed into broken sounds, speech reduced to babble, no longer able to form coherent sentences. His body felt like it was on fire, the heat originating from every touch of Emmett's mouth, his hands, and the body that was pressed against his legs. "Oh God…so good…so...Emmett…p-please."

Edward's fingers were clutching at Emmett's skull, digging in with a grip hard enough that had he been human Edward would have crushed the bone. As it was, the hold was just shy of causing him pain, a dull ache radiating from where each finger tip was pressing in. Edward was teetering on the edge, close to exploding. It wasn't going to take a lot more for him to lose it. The hand cradling his balls moved further back, pressing his knuckle hard against the patch of skin there, at the same time twisting his wrist and giving one last hard suck, and that was all it took. Edward's cock twitched, bumping against Emmett's teeth, before he shot his load. Emmett made sure his lips were sealed around the hard flesh, not wanting to lose a single drop of fluid. His hand continued to stroke, pumping him to get all he possibly could. Emmett swallowed, the taste of bitterness, salt, and something just undeniably Edward flooding his mouth.

Emmett was watching his brother, his stomach giving a jolt at the look that crossed his face the moment he came. He was absolutely gorgeous, features lax, mouth hanging open, eyes squeezed tightly shut. He'd thrown his head back, hitting the wood with enough force that Emmett heard a crack. His new position left his neck exposed, Emmett's eyes greedily took in the long line of that pale throat. His whole body had tensed with his release, muscles tightening, the tendons in his neck straining.

Edward was panting harshly, the need to catch his breath after such an orgasm was instinctual, even if it was unnecessary. He sagged against the mattress, more relaxed then he could remember being in a very long time. Emmett's hands had let him go, but the other vampire was still licking him clean, removing every last trace of his seed. He finally let Edward slip out of his mouth, placing one last kiss on the softening shaft, then scattering small pecks along his thighs and stomach just below his belly button.

Crawling back up Edward's body, Emmett kissed up a pale throat, before slanting his mouth over the other's, claiming his lips in a crushing kiss. Edward could taste himself on Emmett's tongue, and it sent another spark of arousal shooting through his stomach to his cock, which was already starting to stir again in renewed interest. Edward rolled the two of them over, so that Edward was now on top, although he knew Emmett allowed the move, he'd never been a match for his brother when it came to physical strength.

His hands moved to Emmett's groin, undoing the button before unzipping the fly of his jeans. Emmett watched as Edward went to slide down his larger frame, obviously about to reciprocate the favor he'd just received. Large hands shot out, grabbing onto Edward's shoulders, holding him in place. Startled golden eyes looked up at him, lips parted and wet from their kisses. Emmett just barely managed to hold back a groan at the sight the other vampire made. He licked his lips once before forcing himself to say the words he felt obligated to get out in the open. "Edward. You don't have to do anything. This was just for you, to help you. I don't expect anything in return if you don't want to."

Edward looked up at Emmett, golden eyes staring at him intently. "But what if this is what I want to do? Unless…" He hesitated for a moment, and Emmett could see the insecurity swirling in his eyes before it was pushed away. "Unless you'd rather fuck me?"

Emmett wasn't able to hold back the moan that wanted to slip out at the visual Edward's question gave him. As an answer, Emmett tightened his hold even more on Edward's body, before rolling them back over, pressing the smaller frame of his brother into the mattress. The _'Are you sure'_, was on the tip of his tongue but he bit back the urge to ask, not wanting to give Edward a chance to change his mind. Instead of questioning him, Emmett leaned down to catch those tempting lips in another kiss.

Emmett decided his pants had stayed on long enough, there was no way he was going to stay clothed when he could be pressed up naked against all off that beautiful skin. Besides, the pleasant tingle in his groin had grown, and was now an almost painful ache. Edward had succeeded in getting his jeans undone, and he never bothered with a belt, so it didn't take much effort at all to wiggle out of the denim, boxers following shortly after. He sighed at the relief from the pressure against his cock. He'd managed to get the rest of his clothes off without having to do much more then shift his position on top of Edward a bit. He was still straddling his brother's thighs, and he rocked forward, grinding his stiff member against Edward's already stirring crotch.

He growled at the sparks that shot through his system at the contact. Emmett actually shivered when he caught the look on Edward's face. Those honey gold eyes were darkened, the sheer amount of lust and pure want shining in their depths was frightening. Emmett was starting to get a little suspicious, that maybe this wasn't a spur of the moment decision on Edward's part to sleep with him. However, that was the extent his arousal fogged brain would take the thought. His own need was about to take over, demanding he do something about the erection that was straining for attention.

Edward was having trouble thinking straight, his mind was overloaded by both a post orgasmic haze and the sight of Emmett's exposed body. Over the decades it was almost a given that he would have seen his brother naked, but never like this. Never this close, for this long, and never before when Emmett was hard. Usually all he'd see were quick glances from just out of the shower. Now Edward was close enough to touch, to watch as every shift of Emmett's limbs outlined solid muscle, how the way Emmett was sitting on him left his flesh tingling where they were touching. His gaze strayed, inevitably, to the heavy member swaying between Emmett's legs. He swallowed the short moan of anticipation that wanted to pass his lips. Emmett was definitely large everywhere, Edward was going to enjoy having Emmett inside him, hopefully in a few short minutes.

The blow job must have sucked out his brain as well, because Edward was slow to realize that his hands should be touching the same places his eyes were wandering, that they shouldn't just be laying limp at his sides. He stretched out a trembling hand, fingers nudging against ridged flesh, testing out the feel before curling around satin covered steel with more confidence then he actually felt.

Edward wasn't about to admit to Emmett that he's never touched another man before. He wanted to keep some of his dignity at least, and letting slip that he was pretty much a hundred year old virgin wouldn't help with that. Edward figured though, that he should be able to get through this with a minimal amount of blunders. He knew how he liked to touch himself, much of that probably applied to Emmett as well. Jerking off was something Edward definitely knew a lot about. Plus, when it came down to the actual sex, it was Emmett who would be doing the majority of the hard work, Edward knew that the main point he'd have to concentrate on was relaxing.

Emmett's breath hissed out from between his teeth at the first stroke of Edward's hand, at the feel of a palm smaller then his own touching him. All of Edward was so much different from his own frame. He was slim and lean, only lightly muscled, he was all sharp angles from skin stretched tight over jutting bones. He couldn't however, be mistaken for a girl, he might look more fragile than a lot of guys, but his build was still masculine.

Edward was getting used to the feeling of someone else's dick in his hand. It was different then what he was used to, Emmett was both thicker and longer then he was, but even the skin felt different. Emmett's skin seemed thicker to him, the veins more pronounced. His hand slid up and down with sure movements, watching as Emmett's back arched, hands clenching tighter on Edward's waist. He was almost disappointed that Emmett's fingers wouldn't leave behind any marks, he would have worn the bruises with pride.

Reluctantly, Emmett grabbed Edward's wrist, stopping his movements. Not that he really wanted to, but this wasn't going to last long if he continued to let Edward touch him. Instead, he pushed that talented hand down onto the bed with one hand before doing the same to the opposite hand. "I don't want you to move, okay? If you take your hands off the mattress, I'll stop what I'm doing. You got it?"

Edward nodded, hands curling into fists in the sheets, as a mental reminder of the order he'd been given. He smirked though, unable to resist a chance to poke at Emmett's patience. "But you're not doing anything yet."

Emmett growled lightly, moving to get off the bed. He caught the flash of panic in Edward's eyes, and was quick to reassure him. He leaned down for a hard kiss, nibbling on his bottom lip. "Trust me, I'll definitely be doing something soon. Just you wait. I'll have you begging shortly."

He crossed the rug to his own bed, grabbing his bag and dragging it closer to the edge, all the while giving Edward a very good view of his muscular body. Defined back, wide shoulders, a thick neck, and as Edward's gaze swept lower, his breathing sped up. Strong legs led to powerful thighs, and Edward's brain stuttered to a halt looking at Emmett's ass. His fingers itched to touch the pale skin, find out if those shapely globes were as firm as they appeared. Emmett got the bag open while Edward had been distracted, and was now digging around in there, obviously searching for something. He was muttering under his breath, sounded annoyed. "C'mon, I know I put it in here. I wouldn't have left the house without it. Damn thing is too small."

A few more moments of rooting around in the bottom proved successful, his hand closing around what he wanted. "Got you."

Edward didn't know what he'd been looking for until his brother turned around, a smile on his face, small bottle held triumphantly in one hand. Edward recognized the bottle right away, red cap and purple sticker plastered on a clear, curved plastic bottle. He didn't return Emmett's smile, could only blink at him stupidly. While appreciative of the fact that they now had this, Edward could think of only one thing to say. "Emmett. You brought lube with you." His voice was flat, unimpressed. "Why?"

Emmett froze, smile slipping slightly but not completely disappearing. He wasn't sure if being honest here was going to be a deal breaker. He'd brought it hoping this exact situation was going to occur, but he didn't want to make it sound like he'd planned this all along. So he settled for a half truth, an answer he knew would satisfy Edward's curiosity. "It's always in my bag with me when I go away." He shrugged, trying to stay cool. "Never know when it's going to come in handy. Either when I'm lonely, or I find a pretty little thing that catches my interest."

He waggled his eyebrows, trying to dispel the sudden tension in the room. It worked, Edward laughed, shaking his head. "Please don't do that. It makes you look ridiculous." Edward refused to think about how the thought of Emmett with anyone else stung. He had to focus on the fact that Emmett was here with him right now, that he was the one making his brother hard, that it was Edward's body he wanted, not some random stranger.

Emmett was back on the bed in moments, but instead of straddling Edward this time, he pushed those long legs apart, settling himself in between. He left the bottle sitting next to him on the blanket, his hands running up Edward's legs. Fingertips caressed the man under him, trying to learn every inch that he could. As his fingers traveled higher, skirting just along the edge of his groin, Edward spread his legs further, letting them fall wide open. The change in his position left him fully exposed to Emmett's eyes, hiding nothing from him.

Edward's throat was working, trying to figure out how to tell Emmett to just get on with it already. He didn't trust his voice with so many words. To himself at least, Edward would admit that he was scared. It was one thing to have access to porn and books, but reading about and watching sex was one thing. Physically going through with this was something different all together. His shaking, tremulous voice would give him away, so Edward settled for a simple one word plea, throwing all his pent up need behind it. "Please!"

The wanton, strangled word almost sent Emmett over the edge of his control. One hand groped for the bottle, grasping it and flipping the cap open one handed. He poured the liquid over his other hand, coating his fingers thoroughly. Despite Edward's obvious attempt to cover up his unease, Emmett could still see a sliver of fear reflected in his brother's eyes. He leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss, needing to get Edward as relaxed as possible before he tried anything. He coaxed Edward's mouth open, tongue flicking against sharp teeth, running along the roof of his mouth before finally tangling with the other, dominating the kiss, yet still managing to be gentle.

Once he felt the last of Edward's nervous tension drain, felt him slump fully back, only then did Emmett move. One slick finger reached between his legs, circling the opening there, but not pushing in yet. Emmett's other hand started rubbing soothing patterns into Edward's hip, trying to keep him relaxed. Edward realized what he was doing, that he was being careful with him, almost wary of his reactions. "Do it now Emmett, I'm not going to get any more relaxed for this. I trust you."

That was all Emmett needed to be reassured that he was doing the right thing. He slid a finger past that tight ring of muscle with relative ease. But then, the first finger was always the easiest. Edward had gasped as he was first breached, and it wasn't what he'd been expecting. It didn't hurt, it could barely be considered uncomfortable, but it was an odd feeling. Not bad exactly, but different, not seeing the appeal to this yet. Emmett wiggled his finger deeper, searching, wanting Edward to experience how good this could be. He knew he found the bundle of nerves when Edward's hips bucked, a short cry wrenched from his throat.

While he was still riding the spike of pleasure, Emmett slipped in another finger. Edward let out a grunt, with two fingers now it really was starting to burn a little. He didn't care though, all he wanted was for Emmett to hit that spot inside him again. Emmett's fingers kept moving, pumping in and out, stretching muscles that tried to protest being loosened. He scissored his fingers, making sure he brushed Edward's prostate to counter balance any pain he might be feeling. Emmett knew that technically, it would take a lot to hurt the other man, that the stretching wasn't really needed, that lube would have been enough on its own. But if it was, as he suspected, Edward's first time, it wouldn't be a good idea to be too rough to start off with. Emmett would do this properly, even if all he wanted to do was bury himself in his brother.

By the time he added a third digit, Edward was still incredibly tight, inner walls squeezing snug around his fingers. The smaller vampire wasn't however, in any discomfort. He was moaning shamelessly now, pushing down every time Emmett pulled his fingers back, trying to impale himself. The sounds he was making had Emmett half crazed; his canting hips searching for the right angle had left the brunette rock hard. He could almost swear his cock had never been so stiff in his life, his erection was actually painful at this point. He pulled his fingers free, amused by the whimper Edward let out, how his body searched for the fingers that had been filling him seconds ago.

"Shh…it'll be okay, give me a minute and you'll have something better then my fingers inside you."

Edward had a hard time believing anything could make him feel better then he did before Emmett had pulled away. He whimpered again, and only the fact that he remembered Emmett's earlier order stopped him from trying to fuck himself on his own hand. He watched through heavy lidded eyes as Emmett shifted on the bed, hooking his hands under Edward's knees, pushing his legs up and back, opening him even further, getting into a better position. Emmett braced himself on one hand, resting it next to Edward's head. He was on his knees, Edward's legs spread on either side of his body.

Seeing how badly Edward needed this, Emmett didn't bother lubing up his cock with anything more then the leftover from his hand. It would be enough, he'd taken enough time in preparing him. Emmett moved quickly as he slicked himself, his aching cock was sensitive to the touch, and he didn't want to waste any pleasure using his own hand. He lined himself up with Edward's stretched hole, but didn't go any further yet.

Edward bit his lip when he felt the blunt tip of Emmett's member resting against his ass. That definitely felt bigger then a couple of fingers. Remembering how large Emmett had looked, had felt when he'd held him in his hand, Edward nervously twisted his hands in the blanket, body tensing slightly. Which he knew was a bad idea, that tensing now would only make things worse, he knew he needed to relax. If only his body would agree with what his mind already knew.

He tried to relax as much as he could, but his body refused to listen, he couldn't relax muscles that had tightened in nervous anticipation. Emmett must have noticed his unease, as he'd started rubbing soothing circles on his hip with a thumb, before bending down. Lips kissed and nipped their way up Edward's neck to his ear, sucking the lobe into his mouth before biting down. His brother gasped at the slight pain, moaning in the next moment as Emmett's tongue licked across the bite in apology. Butterfly soft kisses trailed along Edward's jaw until they reached his chin. A quick lick along the cleft before Emmett's lips moved up, planting a kiss on the corner of Edward's mouth.

Edward turned his head to meet the brunette's lips with his own, mouth opening immediately, submitting willingly to Emmett's lead. He lost himself in the feel of lips pressing against his, the slickness of a tongue tangling with his own, the taste of Emmett as well as a trace of himself as well. Edward didn't know it, but the kisses were all part of Emmett's diversionary tactics, his plan to get his brother completely relaxed and get his mind off what was about to happen. He felt it when Edward's muscles finally loosened again, the tension leaving his body. Without breaking the kiss, his thumb still rubbing comforting circles, Emmett pressed his hips forward, the slick tip of his cock starting to push inside.

Even though he'd prepared him beforehand, Edward was still impossibly tight, his opening putting up a good amount of resistance. Emmett knew though, that once he'd gotten past that first ring of muscle, it would be easier to move. The head of his cock finally slipped inside, that tight channel gripping him like a vise. Edward's breath left him in a rush, attempting to adjust to the intrusion. Emmett pushed in a little further, sinking in an inch or so before Edward's body went taut under him, a grimace flitting across his face. One of Edward's hands unclenched its hold on the blanket, coming up to clutch at the arm Emmett had positioned next to his head. Fingers dug into Emmett's bicep, letting out a few shaky breaths before speaking up. "Just do it Emmett. All at once, quickly. Slow is only making it worse for me."

"What? But I don't want to hurt you. You don't know what you're asking for." Edward's demand was tempting, but he didn't want to cause his brother pain.

Edward would have tried to impale himself if Emmett was going to hesitate, but with his legs pushed up to his chest the way they were he couldn't get the leverage. Everything depended on Emmett, and whether Edward could convince the brunette to go faster. Pitching his voice as husky and seductive as he could manage, Edward tried again. "Please Emmett, I need to feel you, need to have you inside me. Now. No more waiting. Please."

Emmett nodded reluctantly, unable to deny the other man anything for long. The hand that had been on Edward's thigh shifted, moving to take hold of Edward's shoulder, keeping him in place. "If you're sure then."

He waited for Edward's answering nod before moving. He snapped his hips forward in one swift motion, burying himself to the hilt. Edward gasped, teeth gritted against the burn that tore through him. Emmett moaned as he rammed himself home, the flesh gripping his length was tight enough to almost be too much, was so tight that Emmett didn't think he'd even be able to move yet if he wanted to.

Despite the burning sensation shooting up his spine, Edward couldn't bring himself to regret his decision. Already the discomfort was fading, and there never had been any actual pain. What was left over was worth it in his opinion. The feeling of Emmett filling him was amazing, he felt so full, so right, it felt like this was where Emmett belonged. His breath huffed in and out in quick pants. He wiggled his hips, trying to shift his position, but stilled when he heard Emmett hiss out a strangled. "Don't move!"

When Edward had moved, he'd managed to actually push Emmett even deeper inside, something the brunette hadn't thought possible. His brother felt too good, he had to try and get control over his arousal, or this wasn't going to last very long. He closed his eyes, blocking out the beautiful sight Edward made, the sight of their joined bodies was overwhelming. Emmett took a few deep breaths, calming himself. Edward's next plea destroyed all the progress he'd made, shredded the last of his tenuous control into tatters. "Emmett move, please. I need to feel you."

Emmett growled, pure instinct driving him now, the need to move, to take, to own, overpowering his rational mind. He jerked his hips back, pulling nearly all the way out before slamming back in. Edward's choked off cry didn't even make him pause, a corner of his mind realizing there was no pain in the sound. His thrusts were brutal, sharp movements that didn't give Edward any time to adjust before he moved again. "Oh God…Emmett…harder."

Emmett changed the angle of his thrusts, making sure his cock brushed Edward's prostate on every push and pull. Edward shouldn't be capable of words at this point, should be incoherent, reduced to grunts and moans. He obliged his brother's plea for harder, his hips pumping in an almost violent rhythm. He swallowed Edward's cries and moans in a kiss, their lips mashed together, Emmett's teeth biting into Edward's lower lip.

Edward was dizzy with pleasure, the slide of Emmett's cock in and out of him bringing him to new heights with every thrust. Heat was pooling low in his belly; his own dick was hard again, arching up against his stomach. The hand that had been holding Edward's shoulder moved, drifting down to rub at Edward's chest, rolling and tweaking the stiff bud of his nipple between his fingers. Edward squirmed, not having known how sensitive his nipples were before this. Every touch was sending an electric shock down his spine. Between the pounding his prostate was getting, and the torturous touch to his chest, Emmett was probably going to make him come without actually being touched directly.

However, it didn't look like he was going to be given the chance to find out. Emmett's hand drifted further south, trailing over a flat stomach, just skimming wiry pubic hair. Edward groaned, frustrated now, wanting to feel Emmett's hand wrapped around him. He tried to move his hips, bumping his erection into Emmett's fingers. All his brother did though, was skirt his hand even farther away, so that Edward's hips were only jerking up into the air, not getting any friction. "Emmett please!" His plaintive voice came out as a half sob.

Emmett pitied him, taking hold of Edward's leaking shaft, pumping his fist counterpoint to his every thrust, so that Edward didn't get any break at all from the pleasure spiking through him. Emmett gazed down at his brother, a burst of pride rushing through him as he took in the sight. Edward was writhering beneath him, moaning, gasping out nonsense words between each breath. He was both trying to move up into Emmett's hand, and push down onto his cock at the same time, resulting in nothing more then his hips jerking in tiny, useless little circles. Emmett took pride in the knowledge that he was the one able to reduce Edward to this squirming, incoherent mess. That he was the one who had finally broken through Edward's tightly wound control.

Emmett sped up his movements, hips snapping hard, their flash slapping together. Edward's back arched, trying to push Emmett even deeper, hoping to somehow be able to feel this later on, even if he knew he wouldn't be able to. Emmett could tell his brother was close to the edge, his body was tensing, muscles starting to go ridged. He wasn't however, letting go completely, Emmett could tell that he was holding back, even though he didn't know why.

Edward could feel his release coming, but he fought the need away, wanting to prolong this moment as long as possible. He didn't want this to end, didn't want to lose this new connection to his brother. It was stupid, Edward knew eventually this was going to end, they couldn't possibly keep at it forever, but he'd enjoy it while it lasted. He snaked his arms around Emmett's back, trying to pull him closer, be touching as much bare skin as he possibly could. He clung to him tightly, even if his hold was pressing their bodies too close for Emmett to be properly jerking him off now. His hand was instead trapped between them, rubbing in tandem with his thrusts, the head of Edward's cock sliding along Emmett's stomach, smearing a slick path along his abs.

Emmett was getting desperate, he needed Edward to come, and the sooner the better. He was about ready to explode himself, but he wanted to get his brother off first. Since nothing he was doing physically seemed to be enough, Emmett resorted to dirty tricks. Remembering the effect his voice and growl had on the other man earlier, Emmett went with that tactic. He growled low in his throat, lips pressed to Edward's neck so he could feel the vibrations. A shudder ran through that lean frame, but it wasn't quite enough yet. With the growl still underlining his words, Emmett gave him a command, hoping he would follow it. "Come on Edward, I want you to come for me, baby. Now."

A keening moan escaped from between Edward's tightly clenched teeth as his entire body went taut as a bowstring, release hitting him hard. His hips jerked in staccato, spurting his come onto both of their stomachs. The moan changed into a scream of pleasure as Emmett's next thrust hit his prostate right on, no longer only brushing against it. Edward's ass tightened around him, muscles fluttering from the strength of his orgasm.

Emmett stilled at the feeling, fully sheathed inside, enjoying the pulse of muscles clenching and releasing. Emmett was still milking his brother's cock, not letting go until Edward hissed, his sensitive length twitching in discomfort. Edward was totally limp below him, a blissed out expression on his face, looking at peace. Emmett wasn't finished with him yet though. He pushed Edward's legs even farther back, grateful that his brother was so flexible, even as he filed that information away to use later on. With his knees pushed so far back they were nearly touching his shoulders, Edward's ass was tilted even higher, and Emmett amazingly, impossibly, slid deeper inside his brother.

He jerked his hips at an even harsher pace, unrelenting, pounding into the tight hole which was still spasming slightly around him. Emmett could feel his release coming, his thrusts getting more erratic, losing his rhythm as he strove towards completion. He buried himself to the hilt in one more thrust, shouting Edward's name as his orgasm hit, his seed spilling inside his lover, hips jerking with every spurt of his cock.

Emmett slumped down over Edward, laying on top of him, resting his entire weight on him. He nuzzled kisses just under Edward's jaw, slow, wet ones, his body lazy now that he was spent. His cock was starting to soften, but still he didn't pull out, not wanting to relinquish his brother's body just yet. His hands followed every curve and line he could reach, roaming gently over flesh, memorizing the shape and feel, not sure if he'd get another chance. Everything rested on whether or not this plan worked on Edward's control.

Edward had his eyes closed, soaking up the feel of Emmett laying on him, touching him, the slick feel of his come inside him. His eyelids fluttered at the sensation of gentle kisses along his jaw. His arms were still wrapped around Emmett's broad back, hands clinging tightly. Slowly, he started to release his hold, hands sliding down, skimming over Emmett's flank before falling back to his sides. He heard Emmett sigh the moment before he started to move, pulling away. Edward viciously stamped down his sudden urge to grab hold of Emmett again, to refuse to let go. He was stupid to think Emmett would waste time cuddling with him now, that wasn't why they'd had sex. All the same, Edward couldn't help the pain that slithered across his chest, fighting to keep himself still.

His eyes squeezed even tighter closed when Emmett's softening cock finally slipped from his ass at his movements, leaving him feeling empty once again. Emmett rolled to the side, just barely managing to stretch his large frame out on the double bed. Now that they weren't being held up anymore, Edward's feet lowered back to the mattress, sliding down until his legs were laying flat again. Edward pushed himself up onto his elbows, trying to gauge the look on Emmett's face. His brother though, resisted his every attempt to catch his eye, staring fixedly at a point on the wood paneling off to the left of the bed.

Edward couldn't tell if Emmett was regretting what they'd just done. He hoped not, hoped he'd get another chance to do this, the sooner the better. He was starting to get nervous, unsure if he'd wrecked things between them. Before he could work himself into a full blown panic though, Emmett finally turned to look at him. His expression was unreadable, and Edward still couldn't hear a single stray thought, they were still tightly locked away. His blank expression changed to a contemplative one. "I wonder if it worked?"

Edward frowned, he wasn't sure what he'd been wanting Emmett to say, but he did know that those weren't the first words he wanted to hear after his first time. "I guess there's no other way to find out then to test it."

Edward felt suddenly awkward around his brother, deciding he needed to get away for a bit, give himself time to clear his head, to try and convince his heart that what had just happened wasn't real. "There's no time like the present I guess."

He moved off the bed, careful to avoid touching any part of Emmett, not sure if he'd be able to resist groping him. His face twisted at the slightly uncomfortable feeling of a combination of lube and semen forging a slimy trail down the inside of his thigh as soon as he stood upright. Edward made the short trip to the bathroom, grabbing a wash cloth from the rack, shooting a dirty look over his shoulder when he heard Emmett chuckle. He wiped Emmett's come from between his legs, and his own off of his stomach. Emmett's own abdomen was messy, and knowing his brother was too lazy to get up and clean himself off, Edward finished up and then threw the cloth at Emmett, where it smacked against his chest.

Edward dressed quickly, averting his eyes from the tempting sight the other man made, and Emmett seemed perfectly comfortable with his nakedness. Edward dug into his bag for a new shirt, slightly mourning the loss of his other shirt; he'd liked the way it had looked on him. He tugged on a plain black t-shirt, not bothering with anything fancier. Edward already had a hand on the door knob before risking a glance back at Emmett. He was still stretched out, one hand idly scratching at the already drying come on his belly. "You stay here, I'll be back soon. I just hope this worked."

Emmett waved him off with the hand that wasn't scratching himself. "Yeah, you go ahead, I'm fine where I am."

Before leaving, Edward had one more thing to say, a safety guarantee for his behavior around the larger man. "Could you try to have some clothes on when I get back?"

At Emmett's raised eyebrow he continued. "Or at least be cleaned up and in a pair of boxers."

Emmett laughed, a deep throaty chuckle that had Edward's cock twitching vainly in his jeans. "We'll see. I can't make any promises. I'm kind of comfortable right now. Besides, it's not like it's something you've never seen, and now I can say that in an up close and personal kind of way."

Edward rolling his eyes was the only response he gave as he twisted the door open before stepping through it and closing it behind him, not bothering with the lock. Edward leaned on the door once it clicked shut behind him, still trying to calm his excited breathing. His eyes slipped closed, reliving the last hour they had spent together, the best hour of Edward's long life. He couldn't stop the happy smile that spread across his face, the sheer joy that was bubbling up from his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. He had to force his relaxed, jelly like limbs to cooperate as he walked away from the motel, back towards the woods again.

This was going to be the moment of truth, the moment that determined whether he got to stay with his family or not. Edward wasn't going to be picky about what he was hunting this time, he wasn't going to bother going too deep into the forest. His nose twitched as he picked up a scent a couple of miles away. It was a deer, a doe from the lighter sound of her footfalls. That would do, the taste wasn't the greatest but it was good enough for now.

He took off at a slow run, staying around human speed because the trees weren't thick enough yet, didn't offer enough cover. Edward gradually picked up speed, still nowhere close to his regular speed, but a comfortable pace that any human runner would envy. Unlike the bears, which had been too occupied to hear them coming, the deer was already wary. That and the fact that Edward wasn't trying to cover the sound of his approach, feet crunching against the ground, leaves rustling and branches snapping in his wake.

Before he could catch her, she'd already taken off, darting deeper into the woods, hooves thudding across the ground. Edward started to give chase in earnest now, running at a pace just slightly slower then the deer, wanting to enjoy the hunt for a bit before going in for the kill.

Edward matched her move for move, following as she slipped between trees, jumping over fallen logs, doing everything she could to get away from him. It was all in vain though, her life was forfeit the moment he'd caught her scent on the wind. If he wanted, he could circle around her, come at her head on, and there would be nothing she could do to stop him. Finally he picked up the pace, gaining on her in mere seconds before coiling the muscles in his legs and springing forward. His hands latched onto her throat, easily avoiding the slim legs kicking in panic as he lifted the doe bodily off the ground.

Edward sunk his teeth into her neck, exhaling heavily through his nose as the blood filled his mouth. With more then a little bit of trepidation he allowed his eyes to flutter closed, losing himself in the taste, in the warmth that flooded his system as he swallowed. His ears tracked the beat of the deer's heart as it went from thumping wildly in fear to steadily slowing, then finally stopping altogether. Edward dropped the deer once he was done, sated in a way he hadn't been earlier, hadn't allowed himself to be.

A triumphant grin crossed his face, laughter bubbling up and out of his throat. He'd done it, he'd managed to eat without having his thoughts about the human interfere. He'd been able to completely enjoy his meal, no extra stress, no guilt, no fear, just the pure enjoyment of the hunt and the kill accompanied him this time. Emmett's plan had worked, his brother had been able to successfully control his blood lust, his sudden thirst for human blood. Edward's celebrating was cut short when something occurred to him. Sure, Emmett had offered to help him, but for how long? Sex might have worked for the time being, for this particular instance, but what about the next time? What was going to happen once they were back in Forks, and Edward smelled that damn human again? Edward didn't know if his brother was going to continue to offer himself up like that, if he was going to allow Edward to continue to use him like this. Because that's what he was doing, there was no doubt about it, even though Emmett was getting laid as well, he was only doing this for Edward. If he couldn't learn to control this on his own, and both they and Bella continued to live in Forks, this had the possibility to go on for years.

Frowning now, and in no particular hurry to get back to the motel anymore, Edward turned and started the five mile walk back. He had to figure out how to broach the subject with Emmett once he got back to their room. This wasn't going to be the easiest thing to word, Edward was bound to stumble his way through that conversation. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the bronze spikes, a sigh gusting out of him. "This is going to be one awkward talk, I can tell that already."

*****


	3. Chapter 3

*****

It was nearly an hour later when Edward had found his way back out of the woods. It was probably good timing as well, glancing up at the lightening sky. The sun was coming up and it didn't look like there was going to be very much cloud cover at all. Edward paused with his hand on the door knob, nervous to face Emmett again. Hoping his brother had listened to him and actually put on some clothes, Edward eased the door open. It was a strange mixture of both relief and disappointment when he spotted his now fully clothed brother, lounging on his own bed watching the television.

He looked incredibly bored, was flicking through the channels at a quick speed, obviously having done this many times already in the hour and a half Edward had been gone. Without looking away from the TV, Emmett spoke up. "Thank God you're back. This place only gets basic cable and there's absolutely nothing on at this time of the morning. And without you here it's no fun making up jokes and insults when nobody's going to hear me."

Emmett intentionally doesn't ask how the hunt went, not sure if he wants to hear the answer or not. That's also why he won't look at Edward, not wanting to see the misery and shame he knew would be there if Edward had failed. When Edward answers him, the light, happy tone of his voice is what clues him in, lets him know that everything went okay. "I knew you'd been spoiled by having satellite available to you. Normal television just isn't good enough anymore is it?"

He turned to look at Edward then, reassured by his apparent good mood. "Of course it's not. Besides, its Carlisle's fault anyway, he's the one who figured we could use it to keep ourselves busy." He took in the light gold eyes, and the usually dark rings under his eyes were barely there smudges now. After a pause Emmett figured he might as well go for it, everything looked fine. "I'm guessing things went well then, from the look of you."

The joy shining on Edward's face when he answered sent a pang through Emmett's chest. "Yeah, there wasn't any problems at all, didn't think about her even once."

"That's great, at least we can assume now that sex is an easy way to help a vampire's control." Emmett frowned, lips twisting into a thin line. "What we don't know, is just how long the effects are going to last on you."

Edward nearly sighed with relief, at least now he wasn't going to have to be the one to bring it up. Edward's happy expression slipped, being replaced with a pensive one. "I'm not sure, I think it might be fine as long as I don't smell her, as long as I can avoid the temptation she presents I might be okay."

Emmett's frown deepened, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth before speaking, his words coming out slower, almost afraid to voice the words out loud, not wanting to upset his brother. "I'm…not so sure about that Edward. I mean…she isn't around here, you're so far away from her. Yet, just the _memory_ of her scent set you off earlier, so I don't think it has anything to do with her nearness." He stopped for a moment here, trying to collect his thoughts. "This isn't coming out right, because obviously her proximity to you does make a difference. What I meant was that even away from her, if anything reminds you of the human, it's going to act as a trigger, and you'll lose it. So I don't think you can say this is going to work as long as you don't smell her. Besides, the whole point of this was to make it so that you could act normal around her, since you have to sit right next to her in biology. I don't think not breathing, not talking, and holding the table so tight you leave dents constitutes _normal_."

It was with more than a little bit of guilt that Emmett realized his words had brought the sadness and distress back to Edward's face. He watched Edward's throat work, swallowing back his response several times before letting it burst forth. "And that's exactly why this whole situation is so fucked up! What is it going to take Emmett? Are you going to have to fuck me every day just so I can get through school without killing anyone? Are you willing to do that Emmett, sacrifice yourself like this to help keep me sane? Because I can't do that to you Emmett, I can't use you like that."

There it was, the root of the problem, laid bare between them. Emmett was quiet, not saying anything, the look on his handsome face was unreadable. His stomach sank, his heart seeming to clench painfully in his chest. He'd known doing this was a stupid idea, that he'd end up hurt, but he hadn't thought it would be so soon, not after only having a taste of what they would be like together. Emmett pushed himself up off the bed, moving to stand only a few steps away from his brother. Edward struggled to stay put, to not stagger back a couple of feet and get some space between them.

Without warning, Emmett closed the remaining distance, hand reaching out to cup his cheek. Startled, Edward froze, not even breathing as he tried to comprehend the reality that Emmett was touching him, was being so tender with him. The look in those dark gold eyes terrified him with their intensity. He tried to turn his head away, unable to keep staring at him, but Emmett wouldn't let him. His brother shifted his hand from his cheek to his chin, his grip tightened, keeping Edward facing him, so he settled for lowering his eyes to stare at their feet.

Emmett pursed his lips in annoyance, letting out a sigh. "Edward." When there was no response, Emmett tilted Edward's head back trying to catch his eye, although he was unsuccessful. "Look at me Edward." He accompanied the words with a quick shake of his hand, jerking Edward's head back and forth with the movement.

Reluctantly, the smaller man raised his eyes, looking Emmett in the face, taking note of his serious expression. "You pay close attention to what I'm about to say, because I'm only going to go over this once. Edward, if you need to have sex with me every day to avoid doing anything stupid, I'm fine with that. I've already told you that I'll do anything to keep you with the family. And you're not using me. If anything, it's a mutual thing, I help you stay sane, and you get me laid on a regular basis." Emmett paused here, he could tell Edward still wasn't convinced, still felt bad about what he was asking of his brother. His palm moved to cup Edward's cheek again, thumb stroking across a sharp cheekbone.

"Please believe me Edward. This arrangement is not a problem for me in the slightest. I'm fine with this, with touching you. Okay? Do you believe me?"

Edward nodded, unable to answer verbally, his emotions swirling wildly in his mind and heart. Emmett's next action only served to throw him even more off balance.

"Good." And with that simple statement Emmett leaned in and lightly brushed his lips across his brother's in a chaste kiss, not pressing firmly, not lingering, just a quick butterfly soft touch of lips.

Emmett pulled back then, turning away from Edward to go back to lounging on his bed, scooping up the remote as he settled into the pillows, leaning against the headboard. "Now sit down so I can go back to making fun of the TV, I came up with some good stuff that you missed when you were gone. Hopefully they repeat some of the commercials again."

In a bit of a daze, only sheer willpower stopping him from touching his lips, Edward moved to stand between the two beds. He looked pointedly at Emmett's clean bed, which he was currently hogging. His brother noticed the look, but instead of shifting over to make room he only laughed. "Nu-uh, this is my bed, yours is over there." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the other bed, indicating where Edward was supposed to sit.

Edward's mouth dropped open, gaping in disbelief at the audacity of his brother. His eyes darted to the rumpled, wrecked, and by the smell of them, come splattered linens of his bed. "You're really going to make me sit there?" He was whining and he knew it, but still, its not like he made the mess completely on his own, it was a shared blame.

About to make some sort of smart ass comment, Emmett instead bit his tongue when Edward turned to him with a pout. There was no way he could be mean to him when faced with that look. He looked like a kicked puppy, it would really be kind of pathetic if it wasn't for the fact that he found it so damn adorable. He relented, scooting over to make room next to him. "Fine. Take all the fun out of it for me."

The smile Edward gave him in return was worth losing the chance to make fun of his brother. Edward settled in next to him, perched precariously on the edge of the mattress as far away as he could get. Emmett could tell he was trying to avoid touching him, obviously still unsure whether it would be welcome or not. Rolling his eyes, Emmett figured it was going to be up to him to once again make the first move. He stretched his right arm out along the headboard, waiting to see if Edward was going to react. When he didn't move, didn't look away from whatever was playing on the television, Emmett took that as a good sign. So he let his arm fall to drape around Edward's shoulders instead. When that didn't produce more then the slightest twitch, Emmett made one last move, using his strength to pull Edward close. He dragged him until their sides were pressed flush together, Emmett tucking his brother's smaller frame securely under his arm.

Edward was stiff and unresponsive in his hold at first, but Emmett didn't give up, didn't relent, forcing Edward to get used to it. He stayed silent, giving Edward time to adjust on his own terms. He turned his attention to the TV instead, watching some cheesy looking sci-fi movie. Slowly Edward's muscles started to loosen, until he was resting comfortably against Emmett's side. Twenty minutes later his patience was rewarded when Edward's head shifted, dropping lower before finally it was laid on Emmett's shoulder. The touch was light, like Edward was afraid Emmett would knock him away for such a move. Emmett brought the arm that wasn't wrapped around his brother up to tangle in messy spikes, running the silky hair through his fingers. Taking it as the permission he was looking for, Edward settled more firmly against him, head burrowing into the crook of his neck, his skin being tickled by the longer hairs on top of his head.

Edward let out a sigh of contentment, soaking up the affection while it lasted. Finally brave enough to try it, he turned enough to be able to slide his left arm around Emmett's waist, tucking himself even closer, hugging the solid body next to him in a one armed embrace. He wasn't sure how Emmett was going to react, but even with how affectionate he's been lately, Edward was not expecting the kiss that his brother pressed to the side of his head, tightening his arms around him. Edward's eyes drifted shut, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of being held, of being cared for.

The two of them stayed that way throughout the day, staying inside and out of the sun's rays. They watched ridiculous daytime television, and Edward laughed at all of Emmett's stupid jokes, even the ones that really weren't all that funny.

*****

They stayed out there for the rest of the week, spending their days inside and their nights out hunting. Edward hadn't had difficulty again since their first day there. They got to enjoy their time spent out there, time spent away from the rest of the family. They weren't intimate again, both of them keeping their hands mostly to themselves, but the instances of casual, friendly touching increased. When sitting together it didn't matter if legs were pressed against each other. A clap on the shoulder after a successful hunt occurred more often. Neither man thought anything of it, not realizing that the frequency of their contact was steadily increasing.

It was early Sunday morning when Edward figured it was time to head back to Forks. He'd been hiding long enough, they needed to return, to get back to school. So it was almost reluctantly that he packed his bag up again, gathering the clothing that lay strewn around the room. Emmett had already collected his things the day before, knowing Edward would want to leave soon. Now all that was left to do was hand the key back in at the office. Edward had thankfully managed to be out of the room when house keeping had come to clean halfway through the week.

Emmett, who decided he wanted to embarrass Edward one last time before they left, tossed the keys at him. Edward caught them deftly, snatching them out of the air. He arched an eyebrow at his brother, asking the question silently. "Go take the key back, I'll grab the bags and go get the Jeep loaded."

Trying to avoid this, desperate, he tried pleading. "I'll get everything packed if you want. It's no trouble, I'll even bring the Jeep right up to the office door so we're ready to go as soon as you hand in the key."

Emmett couldn't hold the grin in any longer, letting it spread across his face. "Not a chance Edward. You're not driving my baby." He paused, the grin flashing even wider. "Besides, I happen to know that the clerk in the office right now is the same one from the first night."

Edward groaned, rubbing a hand across his face, resigned to his fate. He wasn't even going to try and argue anymore, he could tell Emmett wasn't going to budge. "Fine." He snapped the word out, irritated that he was playing directly into Emmett's plan. "But you realize I'm going to get you for this right? There's no way you're getting away with this."

Grabbing both their backpacks in one hand, Emmett backed out the door, chuckling. "I wouldn't expect anything less Edward. Now you better go get this over with before I finish up what I'm doing and come join you in the office."

Eyes widening, knowing that Emmett wasn't kidding, Edward hurried out the door after the other man, walking swiftly around the building until he reached the motel office. Gathering his courage, reminding himself that he didn't care what one human thought of him or his relationship with his brother, he pushed through the door, ignoring the bell that jangled over his head.

The clerk had been turned away from him when he'd entered, digging through a filing cabinet. She spun around at the sound of the bell, the easy smile she'd been about to greet him with slipping from her face when she realized it was him. "What can I do for you?" The tone was wary, like she was hoping he wasn't going to ask to stay longer.

Edward held the keys out, but the woman made no move to take them from him. So, feeling stupid for letting them dangle too long, he put them down on the counter instead. "I just wanted to bring you the keys back. We're leaving now, so I'll pay for the last couple of days now."

As he'd been talking, Edward had reached for his back pocket, digging out his wallet and pulling out his credit card, handing it over. She walked away to the side room to ring them through, leaving Edward alone in the front room. Long minutes ticked by without the reappearance of the clerk. Emmett was going to be impatient soon, and would carry through with his threat to come in here. Edward was starting to get nervous, it had been over a minute now since he'd heard the Jeep pull up and the rumble of the engine shut off. He started drumming his fingers against the counter top, the small taps quickening when he heard the door of the Jeep open and his brother approach the building.

Thankfully, once he came through the door, he stayed right around the entrance, leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. The clerk, of course, chose to make her appearance right after Emmett's, her stride faltering when she caught sight of the larger man. Her face was a mixture of horror and disgust as she slid the book to sign towards Edward, with his credit card sitting on top. It was hard to read the gibbering mess of her thoughts, but what he did manage to get made him glad he was already dead, or else he would have died of embarrassment.

Apparently, putting them as far away as possible hadn't helped, they'd still been heard, and she had also been the one to take the soiled bedding away and left fresh stuff in its place. While that fact alone was embarrassing enough, unfortunately it got worse. What Edward forgot, was that it had been Emmett who had paid for their stay halfway through. Forgot that he had paid with a credit card as well. Her horror stemmed from the fact that both cards clearly had the name Cullen on them, so the story they'd given her about being brothers looked like it was true. And she'd both heard and seen the evidence of them having sex.

Hearing the barely audible laugh coming from behind him, Edward shot the other vampire a dirty look, realizing Emmett had sent him in here on purpose, because he knew this was going to happen. The moment he turned around though, the laughter cut off, Emmett's face striving for innocent. But he couldn't quite pull it off, the corners of his mouth were twitching with a smile. Grabbing the pen, he hastily scrawled his signature, wanting to get out of there as quick as possible. Mumbling a quick, "Thanks." Edward made a beeline for the exit, not even waiting for any response from the woman.

Emmett didn't look like he was going to go through the door first, so walking swiftly, Edward tried to escape this predicament. Unfortunately his need to leave seemed to have been anticipated by Emmett as well, and was all a part of his devious plan. He was already past Emmett so he didn't see the wink he tossed in the clerk's direction, but he sure felt the sharp slap to his ass that came a moment later. He jerked in shock at the slap, before groaning at Emmett's next words. "Come on little brother, we better get back home before Mom and Dad start to worry about where we've been."

Edward wasn't ashamed of the fact that he all but fled for the safety the Jeep offered then. He slid inside, slamming the door shut, the metal creaking in protest at the excessive force. He slumped down in the seat, purposefully avoiding looking toward the motel, eyes trained on the highway instead. He didn't turn to look at Emmett either as he climbed into the driver's seat, laughing out loud now. "Oh man Edward, you should have seen her face after that. It looked like she was going to throw up. It was awesome."

Edward's left hand swung up, smacking hard into Emmett's upper arm. He hissed at him, embarrassment coloring his voice. "That was _not_ funny Emmett. Do you have any idea what that woman is thinking right now?"

Completely unrepentant, Emmett's grin only widened. "I wish I knew. I can bet it sure is interesting."

Edward sighed in exasperation, giving up on trying to make him feel bad, knowing it was a lost cause. "I'm pretty sure you damaged that poor woman's psyche permanently." Shaking his head, Edward gestured toward the road. "Let's just get going already, before you come up with another way to traumatize the locals."

Emmett's laughter rang through the air for awhile before Edward finally had to threaten bodily harm if he didn't shut up. Which only made his brother laugh harder. So Edward spent nearly an hour of their return trip with his hand held over Emmett's mouth, clamped tight to muffle the sounds, even if Emmett's eyes were still dancing with laughter, while Edward's were narrowed in a glare.

*****

When they pulled up in front of the house late that evening, Edward was almost glad to get away from his still way too amused brother. He wasn't mad though, couldn't find it within himself to be really. Once he'd gotten over the humiliation, Edward had been able to see the humor of the situation, and had found himself having to suppress his own amusement. With one last exasperated shake of his head, Edward grabbed his bag and without another word disappeared up into the house, with nothing more then a nod in Alice's direction.

The petite brunette was the only one outside, leaning against the railing of the front porch, head tilted back, staring at the rising moon. She'd let Edward pass her without comment, but there was no way Emmett was getting by her silently. She shifted her gaze to Emmett as he approached the steps, taking in just how content he looked. Her lips curved into a smile, the perfect bow of her lips painted red.

Emmett recognized the smug, knowing look on his sister's face right away, realizing that she was most likely out here waiting for them, having seen when they were coming back. He'd let her say whatever it was she deemed important enough before brushing her off. He didn't feel like dealing with however many questions she was bound to have. He raised an eyebrow at her expectantly, waiting for her.

Her bell like voice sounded way too pleased when she finally spoke up. "It's about time Emmett, I thought you two were never going to get to this point."

He realized what she was referring to right away, knew now what she'd seen in the car last week that had caused her to let go of her line of questioning. Emmett also didn't think she had all the right information. "It's not what you think it is Alice."

He tried to move past her into the house, but she got in his way, not willing to let the subject go yet. "So you're telling me that you _didn't_ sleep with Edward? That I wasn't seeing things properly, that I was imagining it all?"

His answer was quiet, subdued, his earlier good mood had vanished. "No, you saw it right. Just not in the context that you're thinking about."

Her brow creased in a frown, Alice hesitated before speaking. "I don't think I understand. What am I missing here Emmett?"

"It's...it's just to help him...to give him his control around her back, that's all, it doesn't mean anything else." No matter how hard he'd tried, Emmett wasn't able to keep the sorrow out of his voice.

Alice's confusion quickly changed into sympathy once she understood what he was saying. Under her breath she muttered, "So he _was_ having problems with her." before she shook herself out of her thoughts. "Emmett, you can't do this to yourself. You can't just pretend this doesn't mean anything to you, not when you-"

With an angry swipe of his arm through the air, Emmett growled. "Leave it alone Alice! I don't want to talk about it. Please." He'd started off with fury fueling his words, but in the end all he could do was plead with her to leave it alone.

The sympathy increased in her eyes, until it was just shy of pity, and already way more then Emmett could handle. He brushed past her on his way into the house, and this time she let him pass, stepping aside, staying quiet. Once Alice was sure he was gone, she whispered into the night. "I'm sorry Emmett. I thought you were finally getting the chance to be happy. Good luck, that's all I can hope for you now."

*****

Edward found he was handling Monday morning a little too good, everything was going just a little too well. He hadn't spotted Bella once, the human's classes were luckily in other buildings then his. The day went by quickly, and he managed to keep his thoughts away from what was going to happen later, during and after lunch. His mind kept drifting, thinking about the time Emmett and he had spent together. If he concentrated hard enough, Edward could almost feel Emmett's hands on him still, taste his mouth, and feel him buried so deep inside. It was times like this when he was glad for the boost being a vampire gave his memory. He was able to perfectly recall every touch, every kiss, every single sensation from that night, every vivid detail that he might have missed or forgotten if he was human.

When the bell rang for lunch though, Edward's stomach twisted, suddenly uneasy. All of a sudden it was difficult to make himself move, to force his feet in the direction of the cafeteria. He knew he should have taken Emmett up on his offer to meet him after class and come with him. Now he had to face this alone, do this completely on his own. Stupidly, he didn't take a breath before pushing through the door leading inside. The scent hit him as soon as he entered, the breeze from the doors swinging wafting her scent to him. Edward clenched his jaw, sucking in a quick breath before holding it. It was already too late though, the effect even that brief whiff had on his system was instantaneous.

He'd had to clench his teeth, or else a growl was liable to slip out. His hands curled into fists at his sides, eyes darkening in hunger. He turned his head to stare at her, watching as she followed Mike and Jessica to a table. She must have passed in front of the door only seconds before he'd entered, on her way to sit down. He tore his eyes away from her before anyone could notice his murderous gaze. The thirst was starting to overwhelm him, it wasn't going to take much more before he snapped in front of a good portion of the school.

Desperate, he sought out his brother, who was sitting at their regular table. Emmett's back was turned away from him, and the only other person sitting there was Rose. Alice and Jasper weren't there yet. Edward couldn't move over there though, he didn't trust his body to obey his commands at the moment. He stood still as a statue, afraid that if he moved, he would automatically lunge towards the girl. Edward didn't know what to do, he couldn't stand here for much longer, someone was bound to notice him sooner or later. And with Emmett's back turned, Edward wasn't sure how to get his attention. His nervous fear was growing, panic starting to lick at his insides, even as the desire to hunt, to hurt, grew in its strength and intensity. Edward wasn't even aware of the soft whimper that slipped out, his mind not even registering the sound.

Emmett heard the pain filled whimper though, recognizing the sound of Edward's distress even from across the room, no matter how quiet. He spun in his chair, eyes immediately falling on his brother, taking in the tortured, hungry expression on his face. He was up out of the chair and striding across the length of the room in mere seconds. He reached out to put a steadying hand on Edward's arm, even if he wanted nothing more than to envelope Edward in a hug, hold him to ease away his pain and fear. He wouldn't do that in front of so many people though, not unless he was absolutely sure that was what Edward wanted.

Emmett had to tighten his hold when another student entering the cafeteria stirred up the air again, Edward jerking in his grasp. While his fingers stayed curled tightly around his arm, Emmett's thumb started stroking soothingly back and forth against the soft skin of Edward's exposed forearm, trying to distract him.

Attempting to be as discreet as possible, Emmett started to drag Edward back out the door, needing to get him away from the human girl at least, although preferably away from all humans. Emmett silently cursed all the students that were milling about in the hallway still. There was going to be too many people to go through on the way outside for it to be safe. Emmett changed direction, steering Edward down a different hallway, one less populated, before ducking into the men's bathroom. Luckily, this bathroom was always empty, due to the fact that there was only one urinal that worked, and most of the boys preferred to use the bathroom closet to the cafeteria at lunch.

Even before he went inside, Emmett already knew there wasn't anybody using the washroom, he couldn't smell anyone or hear any movement coming from the room. Once he'd pushed open the door however, his eyes still made a sweep of the area, making absolutely sure he wasn't about to traumatize some poor kid. He didn't release his grip on Edward's arm yet, instinctively knowing that this time he wasn't going to get to be gentle, that with Bella actually nearby, this was going to have to be hard, fast, and rough.

Knowing for sure now that they were alone, Emmett flicked the lock on the door, not wanting to be disturbed. Taking a look at his brother, Emmett knew his earlier reasoning was going to hold true. Edward needed him, his eyes were still dark and wild looking with hunger, the thirst obvious. Edward's top lip curled up to expose his teeth, the barest hint of a growl rumbling in his chest.

Emmett shivered as a wave of lust hit him, realizing he was about to fulfill one of his dirtiest fantasies. Harsh, rough sex up against a wall. Well, as an extra precaution against getting caught it was going to be sex up against a bathroom stall, but it was pretty much the same thing. He steered Edward toward the far stall, knowing the one next to the wall was always the largest, would give them the most space to move. He pushed Edward inside first, following him before kicking the door shut after him with a slam, reaching blindly behind him to slide the lock into place. With the one hand still on his arm, Emmett moved his free hand to Edward's waist, sliding his fingers under the waistband of his jeans to smooth over bare skin.

Edward still looked like he was barely holding it together, that Emmett's hands on him were all that was keeping him sane. Edward brought both hands up to encircle Emmett's back, fingers digging into his flesh, holding tight to Emmett's shirt.

He leaned down for a kiss, he couldn't resist the temptation, even if affection wasn't what Edward needed right now. So he let himself be rough in this as well, smashing their lips together, nipping at Edward's full bottom lip, forcing his mouth open too suck on Edward's tongue, their teeth clicking together. Edward's moan changed into a whimper as Emmett's tongue swept through his mouth, running along sharp teeth, stroking along his palate, before thrusting in and out quickly, imitating what he was going to be doing in a few short minutes. The hands that had been clutching at his shirt fell down slack to Edward's sides, submitting himself to Emmett's control.

Emmett growled, the sound sending a shudder he could feel through his brother's body. He had a feeling he knew how to get Edward worked up the fastest, get his mind completely off the hunt. Emmett pushed the smaller man against the wall, pinning him there with his weight, leaning in to lick up the long line of his neck. Pitching his voice as low and gravelly as he could, he whispered to Edward, breath puffing against his ear, his words firm, leaving no room for argument. "Edward, turn around, put your hands on the wall, and do not move until I tell you to."

Emmett dropped his arms, letting Edward go, waiting to see if he would follow the command. The shudder ran through Edward again, and almost immediately after releasing him, Edward spun around, planting his hands on the stall at shoulder height, arms stretched out, his head hanging, staring at the ground. Emmett smirked, glad that it looked like Edward was going to play along. "Good boy."

He accompanied the praise with his hands sweeping down Edward's sides to land at his waist, sliding his hands around the slim waist, one made quick work of Edward's belt, working to tug open his jeans. The other hand slipped inside once the pants were loosened enough, roughly palming his already stiff cock. Edward moaned and Emmett could feel the muscles in his thighs straining as he fought the need to buck into Emmett's hand. The brunette was slightly amazed at the restraint Edward was showing, that he was able to follow directions in the state he was in. Yanking down his brother's pants and boxers with one hand, he pulled them far enough down so that when he let go, they slid the rest of the way off, landing puddled around Edward's feet.

Emmett pushed a hand under the thin cotton of Edward's t-shirt, fingers tracing along the bumps of his spine. It was with disappointment that he realized he wouldn't be able to have Edward completely naked this time. Running his hand back down Edward's spine, slipping into the dip of his lower back before following the swelling curve of his ass. He cupped the pale flesh in his hand, thumb rubbing into the crease, brushing lightly over the puckered opening. Pressing in lightly, not enough to breach him, but enough to open the muscle a bit, feeling it twitch around him.

With the hand that wasn't on Edward's ass, he fumbled with his own pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them before pulling them open into a wide V, not bothering to pull them down. He had forgone underwear this morning, anticipating that something like this was going to happen. Once free of the denim, Emmett's cock stood at attention, already fully erect. Edward was whining low in his throat, subtly trying to push his ass back onto Emmett's thumb, eager to impale himself. The soft, needy sounds being wrenched from his chest were too much, Emmett needed to be inside his brother now, no waiting this time. Still having enough sense to know he shouldn't be doing this dry, Emmett dug into the pocket of his jeans, glad they were baggy so he could carry the little bottle around with him. Flipping open the cap he tipped the bottle over, his dick twitching as the cool liquid hit it. He spread it over himself with a few slow pulls of his hand, getting himself as slick as possible.

Shifting the hand on Edward's ass to instead take a firm hold of his hip, needing to keep him immobile, Emmett guided his cock to Edward's opening, lining himself up. He grabbed Edward's opposite hip with his still lube slippery hand, fingers digging harshly into skin. At the same time he snapped his pelvis forward, Emmett yanked backwards on the body in his hold, swiftly burying himself completely in the other man in only one thrust.

Edward mewled weakly at the action, fingers scrabbling at the metal beneath him, mouth opening in a silent scream, a high pitched whine all he could manage. Emmett was staring, slightly transfixed at how Edward was stretched tight around the thickness of his length. "You look so good like this baby. So hot, stuffed full of my cock."

Only feeling slightly guilty, Emmett didn't give his brother any time to adjust to the intrusion before starting up a punishing pace, pulling nearly all the way out before slamming back in, making sure to drag along Edward's prostate with every movement.

What had started off as quiet, choked off cries were quickly gaining in volume, and even with a part of his attention attuned to the empty hallways beyond the bathroom, Emmett knew eventually they would be heard. He draped himself against Edward, chest pressed tightly against the hard trembling muscles of his brother's back. His chin came to rest on Edward's shoulder, and he murmured to him in the same commanding tone as earlier. "Shh, baby. You gotta be quiet. Nothing louder then a whimper, or else I'll have to gag you."

The cries cut off with a moan, as Edward had to make a concerted effort to decipher what the words meant through the haze of pleasure fogging his brain. Emmett could tell the exact moment the threat registered, as Edward shook slightly and his inner walls clenched tight for a moment before releasing. Emmett filed the positive reaction away, adding it to the ever growing list of things he was learning about his brother. Now knowing that it had turned him on, Emmett moved the hand that wasn't covered in lube up to Edward's mouth, covering it so tightly that no sound was able to slip out. He could feel Edward's panting breaths as he tried, and failed, to pull in air through his mouth. It took longer then he thought it would for Edward to realize he could still breathe through his nose, but as soon as he did, Edward sucked in a ragged, wheezy lungful of air.

Wanting to touch him, but not trusting Edward enough to stay quiet, the noises weren't something the bronze haired vampire had control over, so Emmett couldn't remove his hand from his brother's face. He needed to trust in Edward's seeming innate desire to obey any command he gave him. "Remember Edward, you're not allowed to move, so if I let you go you have to keep your position. Alright?" He reminded with a growl.

Edward gave no sign of having heard him, so Emmett twisted the smaller man's head to the side until he could look him in the eyes, all without removing his hand. He tightened his hand further in fact, fingers digging cruelly into Edward's jaw. "Did you hear me Edward? I expect you to acknowledge if you've heard me, you got it?"

Edward gave a short, jerky nod, eyes wide and glassy with lust, barely comprehending what was going on. "Don't. Move." He repeated, and was satisfied when Edward nodded again.

The hand on Edward's hip moved, sliding around to his thigh and then down and under, reaching between his spread legs to tug at his balls, rolling the heavy sac in his palm. Reveling in the tremble that seemed to be constant in the other's frame whenever he was close, Emmett grasped the already weeping shaft in his fist, pumping in time to his thrusts.

He wasn't being gentle, not even close, but it looked like Edward was actually responding more to the harsher treatment, his precome was smeared on the wall where his cock would bump against it with every forward thrust from Emmett. Edward was going to come way too fast if he continued to touch him, so Emmett reluctantly released his brother's cock, hand fondling his balls once again instead. Losing himself in the moment, in his fantasy, things started spilling from his mouth that he wouldn't have dared normally say.

"You like this don't you baby? Like having my big, thick cock shoved inside you, reaming that tight little ass of yours."

He lowered his head to the juncture where neck met shoulder, nipping at the muscle there, hard enough for Edward to feel it, but not enough to break the skin, to leave a mark, although he was sorely tempted. "Should bite you baby, leave my mark on you, let everyone know who you belong to."

He nuzzled at the abused flesh, laving it with his tongue. He listened to Edward's desperate moans and whimpers, and even as muffled as they were Emmett could make out the needy little sounds. He regretted not being able to hear them properly, hear Edward pleading for more without words, begging him with the mewls, whines, and whimpers wringing from his chest. "Oh yeah, you definitely love this. Look at you, so desperate to be filled with my cock. You're such a slut for it Edward. You want this bad don't you?"

Edward moaned loudly, head bobbing up and down quickly, agreeing with Emmett. "Yeah. Are you gonna be my whore baby? Going to let me use you, use your pretty body until I come?"

With a creak of metal as Edward dug his fingers into the stall, Emmett felt it as his balls tightened, drawing up close to his body. Edward came then, his orgasm exploding from him, his mostly untouched cock sending ropes of come splattering against the wall. He tightened around Emmett, who was surprised by just how much this all turned his brother on. Edward went limp then, and Emmett had to move fast to keep him on his feet, wrapping an arm around his waist. Emmett removed his hand from Edward's mouth then as well, now that he was spent and much more lucid he'd be able to keep himself quiet now. He rubbed a large hand against the back of Edward's neck, playing with the short hairs there before sliding down, finger's dancing down his side, tracing along ribs and finally stopping at his narrow waist.

Emmett clutched to the exposed skin Edward's rucked up shirt showed off like it was a lifeline. His thrusts had slowed down now that the sense of urgency was gone, and he was now almost lazily pushing into his brother. His own climax was fast approaching, but he couldn't help wanting to draw this out just a little longer. His face would have been flushed if capable when he realized the things he'd been uttering a moment earlier.

The fact that Edward hadn't seemed to mind, had enjoyed the dirty talk, was Emmett's only saving grace. He hadn't expected to fall so deeply into the fantasy, although the reality of it happening was much better then anything his imagination had been able to come up with. Emmett was knocked out of his thoughts, his rhythm stuttering, at the first roll of Edward's hips. Now that his brother was back under control of his faculties, he was participating without any urging on Emmett's part. He was pressing his ass backwards with every one of Emmett's thrusts into his body. He was forcing his cock just that much deeper, and if that wasn't enough, every time he was buried up to the hilt, Edward would roll his hips in a tight circle pressing him more firmly against his inner walls.

Emmett had to choke back his own scream when release hit him, letting out a strangled sounding moan, part nonsense, part Edward's name. He continued to move, shallow, slow thrusts as he spilled inside his brother. He lay slumped along Edward's back, taking in the last few moments of closeness before he would have to pull away. Once his hips finally stopped twitching against his brother's ass, as the last of the spasms finally ended. Emmett withdrew carefully, stepping away from Edward. He gave him as much room as was possible in the small space, backing up to lean against the opposite side of the stall.

Edward finally let his arms fall down, releasing his hold on the metal, cringing at the finger shaped dents he left behind. He turned around on still shaky legs, being careful not to trip on the jeans pooled around his ankles, one hand darting out to steady himself on the toilet paper dispenser. He looked up at Emmett almost shyly, a crooked grin crossing his face. He wasn't sure what to say to his brother, how to go from the sex back to their normal relationship. Then again, maybe there was no going back from this, everything was different now. "Thanks." It wasn't enough, wasn't what he wanted to say, but inadequate as it sounded, it was all Edward would allow himself to say.

An answering grin was Emmett's only response. He moved then, arm coming closer, and for one brief, improbable moment Edward thought he was going to grab his hand. Emmett didn't though, all he did instead was tear a strip of paper off the roll Edward's hand was resting above. He cleaned himself off with a few swift swipes, before tossing the wad into the toilet. He tucked himself back into his jeans, now that he had softened again, doing up the fly once again, leaving the belt undone for now. He tore off another strip when it became obvious that Edward wasn't making any move to clean himself up.

He held the paper out as an offering, trying not to laugh at the still somewhat dazed look on Edward's face. "Here, you might want this, 'cause otherwise you're not going to be very comfortable for the rest of the day."

Edward only blinked at him, uncomprehending, until Emmett flicked his eyes downward, glancing briefly at Edward's crotch before looking away again. Realization dawned in those butterscotch eyes, and a bit sheepishly, he grabbed the proffered paper from him. Just knowing the other man wouldn't want an audience for this, Emmett averted his eyes, pretending to be interested in the graffiti scrawled on the wall.

Edward made a soft sound of disgust as he wiped between his legs, still very much unused to the feeling of come trickling from his ass. He tossed the used tissue alongside Emmett's with a small plop, before flushing the entire mess. Emmett waited patiently while Edward adjusted his clothes, tugging the articles back into place. Once he was dressed again, Emmett opened the door, moving over to the sink, running his still lube covered hand under the water, getting rid of the last traces, rinsing off quickly, leaving the water on for Edward as he stepped away from the sink, buckling his belt as he moved.

Edward smiled at him gratefully, cupping his hands under the flow, collecting the water before splashing it across his face, rubbing wet hands through auburn hair, leaving it darkened and damp. Emmett bit his lip, staring at his brother's beautiful face. "Edward." He started to speak, waiting until he knew he had Edward's attention. Once he was looking back at him, Emmett continued. "Edward, I..." He licked suddenly dry lips, nervous, even if he wasn't quite sure what he was about to say. "I need to tell you something. I..."

He was cut off then by the sound of the bell, and it was with a jolt Emmett realized what he'd been about to confess. He snapped his mouth shut, coming back to his senses. Edward was still waiting expectantly, not knowing that Emmett had lost his nerve. "What is it Emmett? Just tell me, or else we're going to be late for class."

He couldn't look at Edward then, ashamed of his cowardice, so he spun on his heel, walking to the bathroom door, normally nimble fingers fumbling with the lock. "It's nothing Edward, nothing important anyway. I'll tell you later." He closed his eyes against the lie and the bitter taste the words left in his mouth. He knew he wouldn't tell Edward later, that he'd kept his secret for so long already, that he wouldn't let it slip now.

Edward frowned, about to press the issue, but judging by the tense set of Emmett's shoulders, the hands that had curled into fists, they weren't going to have time to talk whatever this was out. That and the school bathroom was not the best setting for any sort of serious discussion, so he let it go for now, although he was determined to bring it up again later.  
Still tense, Emmett yanked the door open, stepping out into the hallway, which was now crawling with students again, none of which paid the slightest amount of attention to the two boys slinking out of the bathroom. Composing himself, Emmett looked at Edward again. "I guess this is where we find out if you can act normal or not."

Edward nodded. "Yeah. Let's hope I can, so I can repair whatever damage I did with our first meeting. I'll see you in Spanish."

"I better. Good luck Edward." Then he was gone, striding away down the hallway with a backwards wave at his brother.

Bella was already in class when Edward got there, and he hesitated for only a moment in the doorway before forcing himself to enter. He pulled the chair out and sat down, admittedly as far away as the table would allow, but at least he was facing in her direction. She didn't look at him at all, preferring to hide behind her curtain of hair, staring down at the notebook she was determinedly doodling on.

He had to inhale if he was going to talk to her, and although he was dreading it, Edward sucked in a quick breath. She was close enough to not only smell, but he could taste her on his tongue as well. When the thirst started to creep up on him, Edward tried desperately to distract himself. Underlying Bella's scent, he could pick up another scent, one much more pleasing to him, much more important then this insignificant human. He hadn't realized it before, but Emmett's scent covered him, wrapping around him possessively wherever his brother had touched him earlier. He concentrated on that instead, and everything else simply melted away, until Emmett was all he could smell, until the thirst had disappeared.

Now was the time to prove to her that he was perfectly normal, not the crazed lunatic he'd acted before. "Hello." He made his voice as pleasant, as friendly as he could manage, tacking on a smile to try and ease her.

Her head snapped up in surprise at the sound of his voice, pen streaking an ugly line through the pattern she'd been drawing on her paper. Her eyes darted to the side to look at his face before looking away again just as quickly, a blush creeping across her nose. Edward knew it was from the smile, that it was all a part of his charm. Keeping the smile on his face, he kept going, since she still looked a little shell shocked, not yet disarmed. "My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't get the chance to introduce myself the other day. You must be Bella Swan."

Bella was just openly staring at him now, seemingly unable to form words of any kind. Edward didn't see what the problem was, it was a simple, straightforward introduction, nothing confusing about it at all. His curiosity was answered a moment later when she finally managed to stammer out. "H-how do you know my name?"

Edward laughed, relieved that was all the problem had been. "Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive." He hoped the explanation was good enough, because although no one had talked to any of the Cullens about it, judging by everyone else's thoughts last Monday, the rumor had already been spread.

Her reply threw him off again. "No. I meant, why did you call me Bella?"

Edward didn't understand, could honestly say that he was confused at this point. Conversation with this girl was turning out to be more difficult then he thought. There's no way he'd gotten the name wrong, it was impossible. "Do you prefer Isabella?"

"No. I like Bella. But I think Charlie, I mean my dad, must call me Isabella behind my back, that's what everyone here seems to know me as."

"Oh." Crap, he had to be careful, he couldn't let anything else slip that he'd heard in people's thoughts. That's why he'd called her Bella, because he already knew that she liked the shortened version of her name better. He let the subject drop, hoping she wouldn't pry.

She was still staring at him intently though, as if trying to figure something out. It was starting to unnerve him, wondering what it was about him that had her distracted. A couple of times it looked like she was going to say something, before thinking better of it and closing her mouth again. Finally, Bella just blurted it out, the blush reappearing as she asked, "Did you get contacts?"

Edward only blinked, puzzled by the question. "No." He didn't elaborate, not sure where she was going with this.

"Oh." She mumbled her response, clearly confused. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."

Edward shrugged, trying to seem uninterested, even as he cursed a blue streak in his head. He looked away, not wanting to give her any more time to stare at him. If someone had asked her later why she'd pressed the issue, Bella wouldn't be able to come up with a good answer. "You're lying."

Edward's jaw tightened, hands balled into fists again, as he tried to remain calm, simply ignoring the accusation. "Last time I saw you your eyes were black, there wasn't any color mixed in. Now your eyes are gold, I mean, they're still a little dark, but there's definite color now. So you're lying about the contacts."

Edward was frantically recalling the feeling of Emmett inside him, shifting in his seat to feel the remaining wetness of his come. Thinking about it worked, it calmed him down enough that he was able to keep his voice both steady and still relatively friendly as he answered. "Am I?"

Not backing down, Bella continued. "Yes, you are. People's eyes don't just change color like that on their own. Why would you need to lie about something as stupid as contacts?"

Thankfully, Mr. Banner chose to start the class that moment, shushing the chattering room, and saving Edward from having to answer. Luckily he spent the entire class going over the phases of mitosis on the overhead projector, so any chance at more conversation was ruined. Edward had angled his chair away from her again, and his fists stayed clenched the entire period, he didn't even bother pretending to take any notes. When the bell rang what felt like hours later, he was out of there right away again, already having the feeling that quick escapes were going to be normal from Biology from now on.

On his way through the hallways, Edward decided that as a plus, even though she had managed to piss him off, he hadn't wanted to kill her at any point. Still not entirely happy with the way that their encounter went, Edward decided that if nothing else, she'd ended up calmer around him then she'd been before. He didn't seem to scare her this time, judging by the fact that she'd felt comfortable enough around him to accuse him of lying. He hoped at least, that Bella figured he was sane if nothing else, even if she thought him a liar.

Emmett was waiting for him outside the classroom when Edward walked up to Spanish. They still had a few minutes to spare before they needed to head inside, since Spanish was only one building over from Biology so he'd gotten there early. Edward copied his brother's stance, leaning against the wall with both arms and ankles crossed.

Emmett glanced sideways at Edward's profile, taking note of the set of his jaw and the almost unconscious scowl and look of frustration etched into his features. He didn't however, look worried or upset like he had last week, it didn't look like he was bound to cry if that was a viable option. Still, it was hard for him to judge what had happened, if he'd beaten the blood lust. Pitching his voice low, so that no one would be able to overhear them, he asked. "So, how did things go?"

A grim expression flickered across his face before disappearing. Emmett was sure that didn't bode well. If even directly after sex Edward still couldn't control himself, then they had a problem, there was nothing more that Emmett could do if that was the case. "She's still alive." Emmett started, wondering if it had really been that bad.

The pensive look faded though, the ghost of a smile appearing instead. "You should see the look on your face right now. Actually, things went amazingly well, all things considered. I mean, she still smelt good, but it wasn't overwhelming." Edward paused, clearly uncomfortable, almost sheepish. "All I had to do was remember you, concentrate on your scent, and it pushed all the urges away." He ducked his head shyly, not able to look at Emmett as he admitted that.

So he missed Emmett's surprise fade into a happy smile, missed the way his eyes lit up at the proof that he was able to help his brother. "At least we can say that our plan worked. That's good at least." Considering for only a second, Emmett decided to keep prying. "There is something bothering you though. You didn't walk up here scowling for nothing. So what's wrong?"

"For someone who was supposedly so frightened of me, she sure took way too much notice of me."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"She could tell that my eyes had changed color since last week. She knew they went from black to gold and she called me on it, asked if I'd gotten contacts."

"What did you say?" Emmett was curious. For whatever reason, most humans never noticed their ever changing eye color, choosing to ignore the oddity instead.

"Denied it. I wasn't thinking, it would have been easier to just say yes, to just agree with her so she'd let it go, but of course I was being stubborn. Luckily I didn't have to explain any further because Mr. Banner spent the entire class talking. So I don't think she's under the impression that I'm crazy anymore. Now she probably thinks I'm just a jerk, but I can live with that."

Emmett shrugged, unconcerned by what Bella had figured out. If all she determined was that Edward was a liar, and was a bit of an ass, then that was nothing. "Well, I'd chalk this day up as successful and leave it at that. Just think, things could have gone much worse."

Edward would definitely concede that point, all in all things had turned out pretty well. Now, if only everything stayed under control things would be great.

*****

Later that afternoon, when they got home from school, Carlisle and Esme were waiting for them in the living room when they all trooped through the door. "Ah good, you're all together still, saves me the trouble of gathering you all or telling you separately."

His face was serious, no trace of the normal good mood he's in after spending the day at the hospital. They formed a rough semi-circle around their father, waiting, growing worried the longer it took for him to speak up. "There is another vampire in the area, at least one, if not more. They're hunting. And they aren't vegetarians. A couple of hunters found the body this morning about a hundred miles away."

Jasper spoke the question they were all thinking, his quiet voice almost piercing in the sudden silence that had descended on the room. "Do you know for sure that it's another vampire?"

Carlisle nodded, although he looked far from happy about the confirmation. "Yes, Chief Swan asked me to examine the body once it was brought in. The official cause of death is being labeled as a wild animal, but there's no mistaking it. He was killed by another of our kind."  
He turned to face Alice then, and Edward already knew what his father was going to ask of her. "Now I'm hoping that whoever it was, they were just passing through, and won't cause any further problems for us. But I can't know that for sure."

There was a weight in his stare, and meaning behind the words as he looked imploringly at the tiny brunette. Of course she understood, knew what he wanted without making him ask for it. "I'll watch out, see if we can try and get some sort of warning if they're going to stay in the area or not."

He nodded, flashing her a grateful smile. "Thank you Alice. I really hope it doesn't come down to a confrontation, but we have to watch out, make sure the Quileute aren't under the belief that we're breaking the treaty. We have to be ready for anything. I won't let anything risk our family, even if we have to kill to keep our home safe."

*****


	4. Chapter 4

*****

Overnight, all the rain from yesterday had frozen solid, clinging to everything in jagged but beautiful little crystals. Snow had fallen early in the morning, was still falling lightly, and now there was a thin layer of white covering the road and grass. Driving still wasn't a problem, but to make it look more normal, Edward slowed down considerably from how he usually drove, wanting to make it look like he was being careful. When he pulled into the parking lot, Rosalie and Alice made a break for the buildings right away, neither wanting to get snow in their hair or on their clothes. Jasper of course followed Alice, holding one of her tiny hands in his. Edward however, was in no particular rush to get inside to class, and as per what was starting to become a habit, Emmett was staying close to him, ready to keep an eye out.

The relative quiet of the morning was shattered by the arrival of Bella's truck, which parked four spots away from him. He could tell that she hadn't seen him yet as she carefully climbed out of the truck. Clinging to the side she made her way towards the back, staring intently at the tires, at the silver of the chains wrapped around them.

As soon as Edward heard the high pitched screech of tires resisting the effects of brakes and sliding on the ice, his head snapped up, focusing on the dark blue van, at the look of panic and hopelessness on Tyler's face as he tried desperately to gain control. Edward figured out immediately where the van was going to come to a stop, and he stared at Bella with something akin to horror. There was no way the human was going to be able to get out of the way before she was hit. There was no time to think about it, it was a knee jerk reaction, Edward found himself running, almost too fast to follow.

Slamming into Bella hard enough to probably bruise, Edward pushed her out of the way, throwing them behind the next car. He winced in sympathy as her head smacked against the pavement when he landed on top of her, pinning her with his body. The glass shattering, metal crunching sound followed the moment after he knocked into her, as the van crashed into the back of the truck bed, right where she had been standing not a second earlier.

He realized the van wasn't done yet, after wrapping itself around the truck it continued to slide, coming at them once again. "For fuck's sake." The swear slipped from his mouth, when it was apparent he wouldn't be able to move them a second time.

His arms shot out, throwing them up into the path of the oncoming van. He grunted slightly at the impact, his hands shoving deep dents into the metal as the van shuddered to a stop. Bella still wasn't out of harms way though, the van hadn't settled yet, and her legs were still in the way. His other hand swept her legs to the side, pushing them out of the way easily, before letting the van drop with one last creaking groan of metal in protest.

The yelling around them had gone up in pitch, no one could really see them in the position they were in, and their worried shouts and thoughts assaulted him. Knowing he'd been a little rough on her, he turned to Bella, to check on her. "Bella? Are you alright?" His hands hovered over her, not wanting to touch her again, but needing to know if he'd hurt her.

"I'm fine." She sounded odd, voice strained with shock.

She tried to get up then, too fast, so he pressed a hand against her shoulder, holding her down easily. "Be careful." He warned her as she still struggled against him. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

It looked like she hadn't even felt it until he said something. She let out a surprised sounding. "Ow."

"That's what I thought." He had to clamp down on the laughter that wanted to escape. In lieu of all the frustration she's caused him lately, he felt slightly vindicated for giving her a possible concussion.

Her next words erased any traces of humor from his system. "How in the..." She trailed off, obviously trying to gather her thoughts. "How did you get over here so fast?"

Edward hoped desperately that she had been so disorientated that she hadn't really noticed where he'd been standing before. "I was standing right next to you Bella." He tried to inject as much seriousness into his voice as possible, to get her to believe him.

She tried to get up again, and this time he let her, since she was sitting up slower this time. She was staring at him, a mixture of confusion and uncertainty on her face. He wished he could read her thoughts, needing to know what was going through her head. People were moving around the van in a flurry of activity. She went to stand, but Edward pushed down on her shoulder. "Just stay put for now."

She scowled at him, resentful of the fact that it seemed to take no effort to keep her down. Her eyes flickered down the line of cars before turning back to Edward. "You were over there." Bella still sounded dazed. "You were by your car." She accused.

"No, I wasn't." His voice was firm, demanding.

She ignored the implied threat in his voice. "I saw you."

His jaw clenched in anger, his patience gone, couldn't she just be grateful that he'd saved her life. "Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way." His eyes were pleading with her, begging her to believe him.

"No."

Edward almost screamed in frustration, unable to believe how set on this she was. He didn't get the chance to say anything more because the EMT's and teachers were swarming around then, and he didn't want anyone to listen to them. They wouldn't let him get out of going to the hospital, but he was determined to do it on his own terms. He assured them he was fine, that he didn't need to sit in the back, but maybe they should be careful with Bella since she hit her head pretty hard. He felt a stab of pleasure when they put her in the neck brace and loaded her onto the gurney. If she was going to be so difficult with him, then he would be just as bad back.

It was while he was sitting in the front seat of the ambulance that it occurred to Edward just how pissed off Emmett was going to be. If it wouldn't alarm the EMT's, Edward would probably groan and put his head in his hands. If he was lucky, Emmett would stay at school, giving him a few more hours of peace at least before all hell broke loose. Although he doubted he'd get even that small reprieve, chances are he'd be waiting for him when they got to the hospital.

The coast was clear when he climbed out of the ambulance and walked through the doors and into the emergency ward. It was safe to wander away, no one was paying him any attention. He didn't get very far though before Emmett showed up behind him. Steel like fingers curled over his upper arm, steering him down the hallway. His brother was silent, not saying a word as they walked. Edward risked a glance over his shoulder, to gauge Emmett's mood. It didn't look like he was going to be able to talk his way out of this one easy. Emmett's face was set in hard, angry lines, lips pressed tightly together, eyes dark with the unspoken promise of violence.

When they were in a quiet part of the hospital, away from the bustle of the emergency room and surrounding area, Emmett all but tossed him into an empty room. Even though he'd been expecting the move, known it was coming, the force behind the push still sent him stumbling forward into the room, having to catch himself on the bed. Edward didn't even get the chance to turn around before Emmett grabbed him again, whirling him around to face him.

His face was thunderous, his fury evident now that there was no chance of them passing anybody. He had the fleeting, incredulous thought of, _No chance of any witnesses_, before shaking himself of the ridiculous thought. Emmett wouldn't hurt him, he was probably about to get screamed at, but he didn't think Emmett would actually hit him. He proved himself right about the yelling a moment later.

"How could you have been so monumentally stupid? There were witnesses Edward! A lot of them, a lot of people to watch as you pulled your stupid stunt." Emmett's voice was icy cold, but the heat of his anger lurked behind the words.

His voice was meeker then he would have liked when he answered. "Nobody saw me though."

That did nothing to lessen the burning accusation of his brother's gaze. "They could have, easily enough." He snarled out the words.

"But they didn't!" Edward stressed the point, absolutely positive about that fact. "Everyone was too occupied staring at Bella to be watching me."

Bringing up the human who was the center of the problem turned out to be a bad idea on Edward's part. The iciness of Emmett's voice melted away when faced with his white hot rage. "Why Edward? Why risk exposing us to the world just to save a human? Especially _this_ particular human. Letting her die would have solved your problem, it would have all been over, gone back to normal."

Edward wasn't about to admit that was the reason he hadn't let her be killed, that what he shared with Emmett would be done as well. "I just couldn't." The response sounded lame, even to his own ears, it wasn't actually a reason, was only a roundabout way of avoiding the question.

"You just couldn't?" His disgust couldn't have been more obvious. For a moment Edward actually thought Emmett was going to hit him. He'd balled his hand into a fist, the muscles in his arm tensed to strike. He restrained himself last minute though, relaxing his arm. "That's crap Edward, and you know it. You've always been noble, but not at the risk to your family. What's the real reason?"

He couldn't give any non answers anymore, he'd already pushed Emmett's temper past its breaking point. However, the prospect of telling the truth had Edward's stomach twisting into nervous knots. So he'd go with the half truths that he'd been spewing since this mess all started last week. His voice was soft, his eyes focused on the wall to the right of Emmett's head, unable to lie to his face, even if it was only partially. "At the time, all I could think about was saving her. I wasn't really justifying it with a why. But, I guess it was...Emmett I was being selfish. I couldn't have let the van crush her."

He flicked his gaze to Emmett in time to catch the tail end of the hurt flickering in his eyes, even though his face was still stern, unimpressed. Hoping he wasn't just seeing what he wanted to in Emmett's expression, Edward finished up his explanation. "I couldn't just give you up, and I'd have to, if Bella died. So it was for my own sake that I saved her. I didn't even figure out my reasoning behind why I ran to knock her out of the way until it was already done and over."

Watching how fast Emmett's look changed from unbridled fury to complete and utter confusion and shock was almost funny. "You...couldn't...give me...what? Edward what the hell are you talking about?"

Edward's answer wasn't going to be a lie, not really, he'd just leave some of the more feeling intensive information out. So it would only be a lie through omission. He focused on Emmett's mouth as he talked, needing to concentrate on something else other then the words he was about to say. "I just...I need you now. Since we had sex that first time...it's like I need it, but not only to satisfy and curb my blood lust, but for me as well."

"Guess this is what happens when you're a hundred year old virgin who's just discovered how awesome sex can be." The words came out monotone, sounded forced, and Emmett failed in his attempt to quirk his lips into a smile.

Edward's answering smile seemed a little strained, and he still wouldn't meet Emmett's eyes. "I guess so."

Emmett was not only surprised, but more then a little bit hurt as well, it seemed like all he was to Edward was a body that was willing to fuck him, to get the urge out of his system. It sounded like it didn't matter who it was that was bedding Edward, now that he knew what sex was like it was almost like he was going to try and make up for all the time he'd missed.  
Which would explain why he was so eager every time Emmett touched him, explain why he'd keep the problematic human alive.

Edward could see the misery suddenly sweeping over his brother, recognized it as the same misery reflected in his eyes every time he realized just how unattainable Emmett was. The guilt hit him then, and at that point Edward would have rather felt the punch of his brother's fist then the guilt currently tearing through him. What he'd said had sounded bad, had made it sound like he was only using Emmett, that he cared nothing for him. He had to do something, had to make things better, wipe that look off Emmett's face.

He stepped forward, finally moving from the spot against the bed that Emmett had originally tossed him to when they'd entered. He reached out to lay an uncertain hand on Emmett's chest, palm splaying flat over his heart. Emmett flinched at the touch, but didn't move away, so it was with a little more confidence that Edward stroked his index finger in random little patterns, coming close to brushing Emmett's nipple, which he was relieved to note was stiffened into a hard nub under his shirt.

The anguish was still showing in Emmett's eyes, even if he'd managed to school his face into an impassive mask. That deep sadness cut at Edward, and in a desperate bid to get rid of it, fill those eyes with desire at least if he couldn't manage to make him happy, Edward moved closer, pressing himself full length against his brother. He craned his neck up, reaching those few extra inches until he was able to take Emmett's lips in a kiss. He started off tentative, just a gentle pressure, waiting to see if he would be pushed away. He wasn't, but Emmett also made no move to embrace him, his arms still hanging at his sides. He wasn't kissing him back either, lips unresponsive beneath his.

He gave a little lick to Emmett's bottom lip, followed by a light nip, trying to coax him into returning the kiss. Finally, he got a reaction, Emmett gave a small sigh before opening his mouth, chasing Edward's tongue back into his mouth. He wouldn't move his arms though, so Edward needed to go farther with things. He shifted his leg, wedging it between both of Emmett's, grinding his thigh into his brother's half hard dick, which stiffened further with the extra stimulation.

Emmett let himself enjoy the feel of his brother's lithe body pressed against him for a bit, almost letting himself get carried away before he remembered that he was supposed to be mad at Edward, not giving in to him. His arms came up then, not to hold him, but to shove him away. "No, Edward. Don't."

The smaller of the two stumbled back a couple steps, not because Emmett had pushed him hard, but more out of surprise, not having expected the rejection, not after he'd started to respond. Edward's mind was set though, his goal was to get rid of that sadness, and if he had to piss Emmett off in order to do that, he would. Relentless, Edward stepped back into Emmett's personal space, cupping his crotch, squeezing slightly. "Come on Emmett, you can't lie to me. Your body says you want me."

His hand was slapped away, Emmett the one to take a step back this time. "Don't touch me Edward, I'm serious. I'm way too irritated with you right now."

Emmett sounded deadly serious, and Edward almost backed off, if something in Emmett's eyes didn't seem like it was belying his words. He'd just have to up the ante, make it so Emmett wasn't even able to resist him. He didn't move any closer, knowing Emmett would only back away again. Instead, Edward dropped to his knees, looking up at his brother through lowered lashes. "Are you sure you don't want me Emmett? You can use my mouth to get off. Want to watch me suck you? Watch my lips stretched tight around your thick cock, trying to take you all in. You'd be the first Emmett, my first taste of cock. So what do you say, will you let me taste you?"

Emmett's resolve shattered, there was no way he could ignore an offer like that, especially when he was looking down at the man making the offer, looking at those sinful lips and clearly imagining what they would look like wrapped around him. He gave a soft moan of anticipation, reaching out to tangle in auburn locks, tugging forward. Edward shuffled closer, repressing his victorious smirk as he reached for Emmett's fly, working his pants open quickly, freeing his already erect cock. He got as far as wrapping a hand around the base, holding him steady, before Edward froze. He might have talked big, but now that he was faced with this, he wasn't quite sure what to do. All he had to go on was what Emmett had done for him, and to be honest, he hadn't been paying attention to technique at the time. He looked up at Emmett, licking his lips, pretty much waiting for his brother to tell him what to do.

Emmett was trying to stay mad, really he was, but the sight of Edward on his knees, licking his lips as he looked up at him, with that lost and unsure expression, it ruined him, the anger and hurt fading away. He couldn't deny that he'd fantasized about this, and the knowledge that his mouth was virginal was an even bigger turn on. That tempting mouth was close, just not close enough yet. His hips gave a little jerk without his conscious approval, the head of his cock bumping against Edward's cheek, leaving a trail of shiny precome smeared there. To Edward's credit, all he did was give a few startled blinks, not moving away from the touch. Clearing his throat a few times to try and find the words, Emmett finally spoke. "Open up Edward, open those pretty lips." Along with the words, Emmett bumped his cock against his lips this time, almost daring him.

Edward did as he was asked, parting his lips, the movement of his jaw letting him feel the slight pull on his skin from the now sticky precome on his cheek. Slowly, he lowered his mouth over the tip, sucking gently as an experiment, gratified by the hiss of pleasure Emmett gave. Edward slid the length in deeper, enjoying the heavy weight of it pressing along his tongue. The bitter taste of his brother wasn't quite what he was expecting either. He'd kissed Emmett after he'd given him a blow job, but Emmett's precome had more of a bitter, musky taste to it then his own had. He wasn't complaining though, far from it, Edward relished the taste, could easily find himself addicted.

Edward inhaled through his nose, was surprised by the jolt of lust that tore through him as Emmett's scent hit his senses. His eyes fluttered closed, not even noticing as his mouth pulled away from Emmett's cock, leaving only his hand on him, which was starting to jerk him slowly. Without thought, Edward's head ducked lower, nosing along Emmett's balls, where the musky, sheer manliness of his scent was the strongest. He laved the heavy sac with his tongue, trying to ingrain that smell into his brain forever. "Come on baby, you're killing me here."

Edward blinked back into awareness, realizing that the alluring scent had been distracting him from his task. He smiled apologetically up at his brother, wondering how long he'd spent just sniffing him. In apology, he trailed his tongue along the shaft from root to tip, following the vein along the underside. Lapping at the fluid collected on the head, Edward licked delicately, before wrapping his lips around the crown. He sucked lightly, getting used to the idea of having Emmett in his mouth. Gaining confidence from every gasp, every small noise from Emmett, Edward slid steadily down his length, until finally he nudged against the back of his throat. It was the strangest feeling as he worked the muscles in his throat, swallowing around the thickness. Feeling as his body tried, and failed, to pull in a breath, his air cut off.

He pulled back enough so that he'd be able to breathe through his nose again, not wanting to cut himself off from that intoxicating smell for even a moment. Edward started to bob his head up and down on Emmett's shaft, tongue swirling around the tip on every upwards pull. His hand moved back to grip the base, finding it easier to move when Emmett was still. His other hand wandered down his own body, almost tearing his jeans in his haste to get them down.  
Edward moaned as he wrapped a hand around himself, jerking himself off quickly.

When Edward moaned, the vibrations shot through his dick and up his spine, and Emmett thrust forward into the feeling, pushing deeper into Edward's mouth, a shuddering groan escaping from his tightly clenched teeth. Edward must have noticed his reaction, because he started humming, Emmett's fists tugging at the silken strands under his fingers. "Oh Edward. Your mouth is just sinful. How in the fuck are you this good? This is insane, I'm gonna come soon baby, you're that good." Emmett wasn't sure if that was actually true, he knew he'd had better blowjobs, since Edward was inexperienced. He had a feeling it was only because it was Edward that he was going to come faster then he has since he was a damn human teenager.

Edward shuddered at the words, his hand working faster, pumping hard, bringing his orgasm ever closer. The hand that had been merely bracing Emmett now started moving as well, tugging up as his mouth receded, stroking down whenever his mouth plunged back to encase the throbbing length. Emmett was so hard now that the silkiness of his flesh was even more apparent as he slid along Edward's lips and tongue, the soft skin stretched tightly over the steely shaft. Edward had been careful with his teeth up to this point, not sure how Emmett was going to react to having something so sharp playing around in so sensitive an area. Being ever so careful, Edward grazed his teeth along the shaft the next time he moved down on Emmett. He shouldn't have worried about his brother's reaction though, as the effect was instantaneous.

Emmett gave a choked cry, one hand slapping over his mouth to stifle his yell. Having those dangerously sharp teeth brushing so closely along his cock sent him over the edge. He spilled into Edward's mouth, almost embarrassed by how quickly this was over. Edward wasn't prepared, had no warning to get himself ready to swallow, so the excess spilled from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his chin. The sight made Emmett jerk his hips again, still pulsing in his brother's mouth as he tried to swallow all his come.

Edward tried to swallow as much of Emmett's release as he could, but it had been too much without any warning. He savored the taste, the way Emmett's cock jumped and twitched in his mouth with every spurt. As soon as he'd first tasted the thick spunk that hit the back of his throat, Edward's own orgasm tore through him, spilling over his hand and on to the tile of the floor.

Emmett stumbled back a couple of steps, slipping out of Edward's mouth, lowering himself shakily onto one of the chairs against the wall behind him. He was glad he was already sitting when he chanced a look at Edward, because guaranteed his knees would have buckled at the sight if he'd still been standing. On his knees still, Edward was panting, hand messy and wet with his come and still wrapped around his spent cock. He really would have fallen when Edward, realizing there was nothing to wipe himself with nearby, simply started to lick his hand clean.

He had to look away from the nearly obscene sight. Instead, Emmett focused on tucking himself away, tugging his pants back up and refastening them so he wasn't sitting almost bare assed in a hospital chair. By the time he looked up, Edward had made himself presentable again, although he hadn't gotten up yet, was still kneeling in the center of the room. He stared at his brother's earnest face, he looked like he was truly sorry that he'd pulled such a dumb stunt.

Edward didn't move as Emmett searched his face, instead he tried to look as contrite as possible, to look like he'd learned his lesson. He was happy to see that the sorrow from earlier was now missing from his brother's eyes. Finally, Emmett was the first to make a move, pushing himself out of the chair, at the same time saying, "I'm still mad at you, don't think you're off the hook." Although he didn't look or sound mad at all, in fact he looked like he was fighting a smile.

Edward however, had less luck containing his own grin as he answered. "I know."

Getting to his feet, Edward brushed against his brother as he moved past him to open the door, letting his hand linger pointedly on his groin, rubbing gently, before slipping into the hallway and walking quickly away. He wasn't too far away however, to hear Emmett mutter, "Brat."

He was sure Emmett could hear the answer that slipped out, the answer he would have given before they started sleeping together. "You know you love me anyway." The silence coming from the room behind him didn't register with Edward.

Emmett knew his brother had only been teasing, didn't mean anything by the words, but he couldn't force out a sarcastic response. Instead, he waited until he was sure Edward was out of hearing range before whispering. "I do love you. That's the problem."

*****

On Friday that week, after a couple days of Edward simply ignoring Bella, Emmett wanted to go hunting again, although this time they were going to stay in the forest surrounding Forks. They had gone a little further then they would have normally, since both weren't in the mood for deer, but the mountain lions that were north of Forks. The both of them had already fed, but were now keeping an eye out for anything else just for fun.

For the last few minutes Emmett had been persistent in trying to get Edward to talk about the situation with Bella. "So you're telling me that she hasn't said a word to anyone about what happened."

"For the last time, yes. I don't know why, but for whatever reason she's kept quiet, lying to people when they ask what happened."

"Even after arguing with you about it, the human's repeating the excuse you gave her for how she was saved, she's saying that you were next to her when it happened."

Edward shot his brother a disgusted look for just how repetitive he's been, and refused to answer again, this was only going to keep going around in a vicious circle otherwise. He changed the subject instead, needing to get out of this conversation. They had found another body the other day, drained again, and this time even closer to Forks then the last. "What do you think these other vampires are doing, why do you think they're still in the area?"

Emmett didn't even blink at the subject change, not missing a beat as he answered. "I don't know what they're in town for, but I do know that Alice was pissed that she didn't see it coming."

That was definitely true, the tiny brunette had spent the entire day after that pouting, trying desperately to see something else, but getting almost nothing. All she'd managed to find out was that there were three of them, two men and a woman, Alice hadn't been able to see what their intentions were and that frustrated her to no end. That was the other reason they had left the house, her sulky, snippy behavior was starting to get on their nerves. "Since she hasn't seen anything more about them I'm about ready to believe that they're either already gone or leaving soon. They probably stuck around so long because they could tell we were here, that there was already a coven living here."

Emmett could almost believe that as well, but something just wasn't sitting right with him. "Yeah, but if they know we're here, why not come see us, especially since they've been hunting in our territory? I don't like it, something's up, I just can't figure out what."

Edward shrugged, agreeing with Emmett but not wanting to voice his worries. That was when he heard it, the whispering voice that slithered through his head, before disappearing again just as fast. He jerked to a stop, Emmett stilling his own walk when he noticed Edward's face. "Wha-?" Emmett started before Edward silenced him with a look.

Edward's eyes were darting around, searching, and scenting the air, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. The voice was still drifting in and out of his mind, far enough away that he couldn't hear actual words, but the intent behind them was clear enough, the menace, the lust that colored the thoughts, before they disappeared again. He was concentrating so hard that the sound of Emmett's cell phone ringing startled him, and he lost the feeling of being observed. Emmett answered quickly, snapping the phone open. Before he was even able to bring it to his ear though, they both heard Alice's panicked voice. "Get back to the house right now! You two are in danger! Emmett don't even think of doing anything stupid, you'll never see him coming, he's a tracker and he's caught your scents. He won't come to the house though, not yet, so get home."

Alice hung up on them then, without waiting for a response, assuming that they were going to listen to her. Emmett was confused for only a moment before Edward's actions a moment ago combined with Alice's phone call clicked in his head. They were being stalked by the other vampires, and judging by how frantic Alice sounded, they had better get moving before things got ugly. His head snapped to the side to glance at Edward, who looked like he was attempting to find their thoughts again, standing frozen in place. Emmett knew better then to ignore one of Alice's warnings though, and grabbed Edward's arm, tugging him around in the direction of home. "Come on Edward, let's go. We don't have time to waste."

When his brother didn't start moving immediately, Emmett's protectiveness kicked in, and he grabbed Edward's hand before pulling him along as he started to run, leaving Edward no choice but to run as well or risk being dragged. He didn't let go at any point, even when it became apparent that Edward was cooperating with him. It wasn't until they were across the stream and almost at the house that Emmett slowed down, finally letting go of Edward's hand. Everyone was already outside waiting for them to get back, brows furrowed in worry.

Edward's face was twisted in a petulant scowl, probably at the treatment he'd just endured, but Emmett could care less how he felt about being led back, it was for his safety. "Alice! What the hell is going on?" He barked out the question, irrational anger coursing through him. It wasn't her fault she hadn't seen this coming sooner, but Emmett wanted to place the blame somewhere, and his sister was an easy target.

"They were leaving, like I thought, but then one of them caught Edward's and your scent out in the woods. Like I mentioned, he's a tracker so that's why you didn't know he was there, didn't know how close he was, that he knew where you two were. I'm not sure what he wants, but I know it revolves around the both of you. Although we're going to get our answers soon, because we're going to have guests in a couple of minutes."

Edward was careful to hide his reaction, masking the flinch he gave as a natural movement. He had an inkling about what the other vampire wanted, but hoped he was wrong, that he'd been reading those dark thoughts incorrectly. Emmett turned to look at him when he moved, giving him a questioning quirk of an eyebrow. Edward shook his head minutely, not wanting to get into this if his hunch was wrong. It looked like Emmett was about to press the issue anyway, but never got the chance as Alice announced, "They're coming." at the same time turning to face the woods to the side of their house, the opposite direction from where Emmett and Edward had just come.

All of the Cullens turned in the same direction, forming a united front against whoever was about to show up on their doorstep uninvited. They could hear them then, their barely there footfalls as they ran, two of them, and they all tensed in anticipation. Carlisle looked at his eldest son. "Edward?"

The meaning behind the question was obvious, and almost reluctantly he focused on the intruders thoughts, sighing with relief at what he found. "It's okay I think, they don't mean to come here as a threat, they only want to talk."

Everyone but Jasper and Emmett relaxed at that, relieved, knowing the newcomers wouldn't be able to hide their intentions from Edward, not when he was looking for answers. Jasper didn't trust anyone who wasn't family, and the concealed panic he was getting from Alice still, as well as Edward's unsettling feelings, had him on edge, knowing that despite what they were saying Alice and Edward were both anxious about something. Emmett wasn't about to relax until the threat to Edward was gone for good, until he knew for sure that nothing was going to happen to his brother.

They emerged from the woods a moment later, walking now to show they meant the least amount of malcontent as possible. It was a man and a woman, their hands joined. The male was tall, his skin dark, hair done in long dreadlocks tied off behind his head. The woman was slim, pale, and freckled with wild red hair. Both were dirty, barefoot, leaves and twigs trapped in their hair, and both had the crimson eyes of a blood drinker who did not restrict their diet to only animals. The man glanced over the gathered Cullens, giving everyone a glancing look, focusing on Edward for a longer moment, before he slid his gaze back to Carlisle, easily picking out the head of their family. He nodded his head in greeting, keeping a respectful distance away. "My name is Laurent, and this is my mate Victoria."

"I'm Carlisle, and this is my family. I don't wish to sound rude, but may I ask what it is you are doing here? Minus one member of your coven might I add."

"Ah, so you are a man who gets straight to the point. Very well then, we've come to give you a warning. While I'd like to know how you knew there were originally three of us, we unfortunately don't have a lot of time for questions. You were correct in the fact that our group used to be three, but James has always been a bit of a tag along, following us only out of a need for companionship. And now he has found something else that he wants instead of us."

Laurent paused here, and Carlisle took the moment to interject. "And what exactly, is it that this James seems to be after?"

Laurent didn't respond right away, but he didn't need to, because at the same time as Carlisle asked the question, Victoria's eyes flicked over to Edward, studying him intently. Wanting his assumption to be wrong, Carlisle allowed Laurent to finish. "James is now after that one there. He is a tracker and will not stop." He delivered the news with a wave of his hand in Edward's direction.

Carlisle frowned, pursing his lips in an attempt to keep the protective snarl from escaping. Carlisle asked his next question reluctantly, not sure he wanted to know the answer. "Is he hunting...or is it something else?"

Laurent was silent, not giving any indication that he'd listened to the question, and was instead staring at Edward with an almost confused expression on his face. Edward heard his thoughts though, heard the unspoken confirmation of his fears. "He's not hunting." Edward whispered the sentence.

Surprise flitted across both strangers faces, even as their confusion continued to escalate. "The boy is right, James wants something vastly different then a kill, he wants to own."

Esme gasped from her place at Carlisle's side, and Jasper could feel his own shock echoed in every single member of his family, except for Edward, who must have picked up the other vampire's thoughts back in the woods. Emmett only just managed to reign in the urge to tuck Edward behind him to hide him away, even if the threat wasn't currently in front of them. Laurent noticed his aborted movement though, as did Carlisle, although his father was not about to mention it. Laurent had no such problem, finally speaking up about what has confused him since they first entered the clearing. He turned to Emmett, addressing him alone. "Might I ask you a question?" He had his head cocked to the side curiously.

Wary, Emmett nodded. "Go ahead."

It was obvious from how long it took for him to form the question that the vampire was trying to find a way to ask what he wanted tactfully. Laurent finally just had to go ahead, and hope he didn't set the larger man off if he decided to take offense. "I apologize if you take this the wrong way, but..." He trailed off before continuing. "Does he not belong to you?"

Emmett jerked back, startled, his first instinct was to agree, but he managed to catch himself before he let it slip out, proud of himself when he muttered instead. "What?"

"He doesn't wear your mark, but he wears your scent."

If it was possible, both Edward and Emmett would be blushing, as it was they were both cringing as they snuck a look at the rest of their family. No one looked surprised though, and it hit Emmett then that of course they all would have been able to smell the fact that they had been together, that they couldn't possibly have hid it from them.

"You should mark him, show James that he belongs to you." Laurent seemed adamant about that fact.

Emmett would love to do just that, but it wasn't his decision to make, and ownership wasn't something Edward wanted from him, only sex. All he managed to get out of his mouth was some inarticulate stammering, so Laurent took pity on him, realizing how flustered this conversation was getting him. "Since, for whatever reason, you seem reluctant to mark him, it would help if you reaffirmed your scent at least." Laurent inhaled, obviously sniffing towards Edward. "Your scent is fading, nearly washed away, so you need to stake your claim once more. James might back off if confronted with tangible proof that the boy isn't free to take as his own."

Emmett was still reeling from the revelation that his entire family was aware that he was fucking Edward, and hadn't brought it up. He was barely following along with what was going on, emotions fluctuating between embarrassment at being outed like this, and an all encompassing anger that another was trying to claim what rightfully belonged to him.

Laurent's words were affecting more then just him as well. Edward wasn't sure what to think about everything else that was going on, his mind was fixated on only one thing. All he could concentrate on was his longing, his desire to have Emmett claim him officially. He wanted nothing more then to have Emmett sink his teeth into his neck, marking Edward as his property. He would wear the mark proudly, right now his neck was itching, yearning for the feeling of Emmett's sharp teeth digging into his flesh.

Carlisle's voice snapped both men back into what was going on. "Backing off is an option that he could choose, but there is another alternative as well. He could decide he still wants Edward, and if that is the case, Emmett will simply be an obstacle that he needs to get rid of."

Laurent frowned, "Yes, that is unfortunately another option, and might be the one more likely to occur. James does have quite the temper, he is also a very talented fighter," He turned to Emmett, sizing him up silently. "Although you look like you can take care of yourself as well. Let's hope those muscles of yours are for more then just show."

Emmett growled, cracking his knuckles. "Let him come for us. I'll be ready. I'll take him on."

Victoria was shifting her weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with being around so many other vampires. Laurent's keen eyes picked up on this right away, and he gave her hand a slight squeeze, since she was still clutching onto him as a lifeline. "I wish you luck with handling James, but we cannot stay any longer. I only came to warn you because I disagree with what he is going to do. It is wrong to try and steal another's mate, and so I came to you out of a hope that someone would have the courtesy to do the same for me, if our positions were reversed."

"Farewell Laurent, Victoria. Before you leave though, I do have one request to make of you. I need to ask you two not to hunt in this area. Our residence here is permanent, and we don't need humans turning up dead to make our lives more difficult. So I'm asking for you to abstain until you are out of the state preferably."

They looked surprised at the knowledge that they had a permanent home, something neither of them has had for hundreds of years. At first it looked like Laurent was going to have a few more questions, but managed to refrain last minute, saying instead. "That can be arranged. We've already eaten anyways, so we will be fine. We apologize for hunting too close to your home, we weren't aware of your situation before."

Carlisle waved off the apology. "There is no need for apologies, you didn't know, you said that much yourself. We don't usually get very many visitors traveling this close by, it's not usually a problem."

They slunk back into the trees then, back the way the came, leaving the clearing silent, an awkward silence where no one knew quite what to say. Carlisle finally turned to face his sons, needing to reassure them that everything was fine between them. He could understand why they hadn't said anything, knowing about his own father and his upbringing. "Boys, you should know that you don't have to hide anything from me at all, that I will accept and love you regardless of what you choose to do with your lives. Don't feel like you have to hide part of yourselves from me, it's not necessary."

Emmett still wasn't fully capable of words, so Edward took over. "I know that, we know that, it just didn't occur to us to say anything." It was with a somewhat bitter twist of his lips and tint to his voice, that Carlisle didn't fail to notice, that Edward continued. "Besides, Emmett's just helping me with a temporary problem with my control, nothing more."

The hurt that flashed in both his son's eyes at that comment didn't escape Carlisle's notice either. He wondered how much more pain they were going to cause each other before coming clean with their true feelings. He wasn't oblivious like they seemed to think, he'd watched as their feelings for each other grew, changed from the love between brothers to something else, something more forever like his love for Esme. Maybe he could try and throw them together, hope that this situation with the other vampire would bring them closer. "I'm not sure if you two want to hear this, but I believe you should take Laurent's advice."

They blinked at him, eyes wide with shock, and Carlisle realized they were misunderstanding which part of advice he wanted them to follow. He sighed, exasperated with their denial when he knew it was what both wanted. "I didn't mean that you should mark him, I only meant that he was right about having Emmett's scent on you."

Their expressions didn't change, both horrified that their father was all but telling them to have sex. Noticing their lingering reluctance mixed in with growing want, Carlisle offered them one last incentive, trying not to smile as he said. "We'll even let you two have the house to yourselves, the rest of us will stay out of range to give you some semblance of privacy." Neither made the slightest move in the direction of the house though, so shaking his head, Carlisle prompted them further. "Now go, we don't know for sure when James is going to make his move. We'll work on that part of the problem while you're gone."

Alice spoke up then, sounding slightly irritated. "I'm not sure about when but I can see the clearing we use to play baseball, I know everything is going to take place there, that seems to be the one thing James is certain on."

Carlisle nodded, pleased that they knew that much at least. "Good, at least that is something to work with. When you two are done, meet us there as soon as possible."

Before they turned to leave, they stole another glance at Alice, whose eyes were far away, focusing her sight. Judging by the frustrated scowl creasing her brow, she wasn't having much luck in her search. Emmett started moving up towards the house, going now before Carlisle said anything else sex related, because then there would be no way he'd be able to get it up, even if he was staring at Edward. At a run, they were only a couple of minutes away from the house, but right now the trip seemed much longer then normal, Emmett's nerves almost getting the best of him before he beat them down.

Emmett led the way inside, heading up to the second floor, towards his bedroom. While he knew Edward would probably be more comfortable in his own room, there was no way he was going to try and maneuver a way to have sex on that stupid lounger of Edward's. That thing was not made with comfort in mind. Besides, why waste the bed he had in his own room. He might not sleep, but that didn't mean he was going to settle for uncomfortable furniture.

Once Edward had followed him in, Emmett shut the door, hoping the sense of privacy, no matter how false, would relax his brother. Edward was standing awkwardly next to the dresser, almost pressing himself back against the wood, clearly nervous. Emmett wondered how long the case of nerves was going to last. If he'd have to coax Edward into relaxing and letting go again, like their first time, or if once they got started Edward would lose his inhibitions again.

Emmett perched himself at the foot of the bed, sitting with his feet flat on the floor. He didn't bother taking off any clothing, or even his shoes, wanting to wait until he got Edward in the mood first. He was ashamed to admit that he was already half hard. Despite the way they were being forced into this, Emmett's body was reacting with the knowledge that he would get to have Edward again. He leaned back on his hands, cocking his head in Edward's direction, not able to stop the sarcastic remark from coming out of his mouth. "You know this would work better if you weren't across the room, and we were actually touching."

Edward scowled at him, eyes flicking to the bulge that was visible in the front of his jeans. "I don't know how you could be turned on right now. We pretty much just had a pep talk about sex from our father, and all of our family knows what we're up here about to do. I'm sorry if that freaks me out a bit. You don't find anything wrong with that?"

Emmett was about to reply in the negative, but then thought better of it. "Alright, I'll admit that it's kind of weird, but you should know I'm good to go at every available opportunity."

Edward rolled his eyes, but the teasing seemed to be putting him at ease with its normality. "Yeah, I'm starting to come to that conclusion as well. I'm not sure if that's a good thing though Emmett. Just makes you look like a horn dog."

Emmett chuckled. "I think I can live with that."

Edward had stepped away from the dresser during their banter, but was still hovering just out of arms reach. Emmett crooked his fingers, beckoning his brother forward. "Come here Edward."

His brother took another step forward, but then stopped again, but at least this time he was close enough to touch. Emmett reached out slowly, his intentions clear, giving Edward time to back away if he really didn't want to do this. He didn't move though, so Emmett's fingers encircled both of Edward's wrists. He tugged him closer until Edward's legs were bumping against his knees. About to spread his legs to make room for the smaller man, Emmett had a better idea. He kept pulling Edward, not relenting until his brother figured out what he wanted him to do.

Edward shifted until Emmett's legs were between his own, but if left him in an awkward position, towering too high over Emmett to be able to kiss him and not have to contort his body. Edward knew the plan Emmett had the whole time, knew that it was going to come down to this. Reluctantly, Edward lowered himself to straddle Emmett's lap, bringing their bodies into contact, their faces only inches apart. Emmett leaned marginally closer, until their lips were nearly touching. The brunette thought it was probably safe to assume that since Edward was seated in his lap, he was giving his consent, but he wanted to make sure, wanted to hear the words. "Tell me that this is okay Edward. Let me know, because all this is your call, everything that I do will be with your permission."

Edward nodded, before whispering, "It's okay. I want this, I want you." before closing the remaining distance between them, lips meeting in a firm kiss, Edward trying to convey just how much he really wanted this without words. Emmett released his hold on Edward's wrists, one hand shifting to the small of his back, pushing his shirt up so he could touch bare skin. His other hand trailed up Edward's arm, over his shoulder, up his neck, before sliding through auburn hair, Emmett's large hand cupping the back of his head, fingertips barely brushing against his ear.

Edward shivered at the touch, but it wasn't enough, they weren't nearly close enough yet, Edward needed to feel Emmett's naked flesh against him. Not breaking their kiss, teeth nipping at Emmett's bottom lip, Edward groped blindly for his brother's shirt, growling in annoyance when he remembered Emmett was dressed in layers today. With normally nimble fingers, Edward fumbled to undue the tiny buttons of his button down shirt, only managing to get one open before he accidentally snapped the second one off. Figuring since he'd already popped one off, he wrote the entire shirt off as a lost cause and simply tore it open instead. Small buttons went flying in all directions, falling against the wooden floor with little pings, all of which were ignored.

Although Edward wrecking the shirt seemed to be some sort of unspoken signal. They both broke the kiss at the same time, pulling away panting, frantic hands grabbing at their shirt hems, tugging them over their heads. Emmett had a bit of trouble with his own, struggling to get the sleeves of his over shirt untangled as his two shirts twisted around each other.

Edward was already finished with his own shirt before Emmett had managed to get his over his head. Deciding to use Emmett's distraction to his advantage, Edward stroked his fingers across Emmett's stomach, tracing his abs, watching fascinated as the muscles beneath the pale flesh quivered and twitched. He heard Emmett's breath hitch as his fingers slid higher, smiled at the breathy, "Sonova." Emmett let loose when Edward softly rubbed a nipple under his hand.

Emmett still couldn't get the shirt off, his mind was way too occupied with what Edward was doing to devote enough higher brain power to getting undressed. He wasn't able to stop the moan as Edward dipped his head, wet mouth latching onto the nipple he wasn't currently playing with. His tongue gave a few timid swipes before swirling around the nub, feeling it turn into a hard little peak.

That was it, Emmett needed to feel him now, needed to see and touch that tempting form. With no regard to salvaging his t-shirt at least, Emmett simply pulled with his arms, shredding the fabric around him. He tossed the shredded bits of clothing to the ground, before tearing at Edward's jeans, not bothering with the zipper at all, he just grabbed the denim in his fists and ripped it, destroying the waist of the jeans. Grabbing hold of Edward's hips, Emmett tipped himself backwards, falling onto the mattress, Edward forced to follow. His brother had to throw his arms out to catch himself, or else their foreheads would have knocked together.

Emmett didn't give him time to get settled before they were rolling across the king sized mattress, until Emmett could successfully pin him. Edward stared up at his brother, pupils dilated with his increasing arousal. The brunette's hands never stopped moving, stroking over his chest and down his sides, before grabbing hold of his jeans. The torn denim was loosened, just barely covering his ass, so it didn't take any effort to yank the pants off, Edward's shoes coming with them. He dropped everything off the side of the bed.

Emmett leaned back far enough that he could take in the sight of his brother. Edward's cock was already hard, arching up towards his stomach, thick and heavy. He was panting softly, chest rising and falling quickly with every hitched breath. There was only a ring of gold visible in Edward's eyes, his nearly black gaze racking over Emmett impatiently.

Emmett's chest clenched, his heart constricting painfully as he looked down at Edward. Emmett swallowed, there was no way he was going to be able to do it like this, face to face was going to be too overwhelming. His expression would give him away, right now all he could think about when he looked at Edward was how much he loved him. That love would be written all over his face right now, easy for Edward to read. So he was going to have to improvise. Pushing gently against Edward's side, Emmett shuffled backwards enough to get out of the way, ridding himself of his jeans while he was at it. "Come on Edward, roll over." He bent close to murmur into Edward's ear. "I want you on your hands and knees."

Edward moaned at not just the words his brother spoke but the pitch with which he said them. His cock hardened even further as he obediently rolled over onto his stomach, before getting his knees under himself, pushing himself up into the position Emmett desired. Emmett had seen all of him before, there wasn't anything the other man hadn't seen yet, but Edward still felt horribly exposed this way, ass in the air practically on display. The sense of vulnerability that washed over him was a turn on though, and he pushed backwards trying to find Emmett's hands.

Not willing to disappoint, Emmett reached out, cupping the pale globes in front of him, squeezing gently, thumbs dipping into the crease to ghost over the tight pucker. Edward thrust back when he felt the touch to his opening, his need to have Emmett inside him almost overwhelming. Edward knew though, that Emmett would try and drag this out, so he needed to plead his case early. "Please Emmett, no teasing, I just want you to fuck me."

Emmett's thumb pressing more firmly was the only answer he got, but Edward assumed it was an acquiescence. Instead of waiting for Emmett this time, it was Edward who looked around the room, stretching a hand out to tug open a drawer on the nightstand, searching until his hand closed around the now familiar little bottle. He offered the bottle to Emmett, who snatched it from him right away, not going to waste any time just like he'd asked.

A moment later the cool slickness of two of Emmett's fingers pushed inside him, his brother not bothering to start with one finger only. Edward's body quickly adjusted to the intrusion though, now recognizing what was about to happen. Emmett twisted his fingers, corkscrewing them sharply, trying to loosen him up as fast as possible. After not nearly long enough, a third digit was added, pushing in as deep as he could reach. Edward grunted at the burn, but there wasn't any pain, he was only slightly uncomfortable. Edward whimpered, forehead dropping down onto the bed when a fourth finger joined the others in his ass. Emmett didn't wait long though, pulling all four out after only a few thrusts inside, his hands shifting to grasp Edward's hips instead.

He pushed inside with one smooth movement, until his hips were flush against Edward's ass, his balls pressing against his thighs. Edward was still impossibly tight, muscles gripping him like a vice, threatening his tenuous control. He pulled nearly all the way out before making a few shallow thrusts, eyes rolling back in his head at the feeling of Edward surrounding him. He wasn't going to last long, so he had to make this as good as he could manage for Edward before he lost it. Emmett took a few more cautious thrusts, adjusting his angle each time until Edward cried out beneath him, letting him know he got it right. He sped up his thrusts, making sure he was brushing Edward's prostate on every stroke.

He draped himself over Edward's back, his weight forcing Edward's upper body into the mattress, one arm folded under his head, the other gripping tightly to the metal headboard, because otherwise each of Emmett's thrusts would have sent him skidding forward. His cock was swaying between his legs, leaking pre-come even without being touched. He ached for some sort of friction, trying to move the hand from under his head to touch himself. Emmett's harsh growl stopped him in his tracks, all movements freezing. He whined lowly at the denial, wanting to let Emmett know what he needed.

"Just stay put Edward. I'll take care of you, don't worry baby, I won't leave you like this for long." He made the promise, knowing that it was definitely true as he could already feel his balls starting to draw up towards his body.

He nuzzled the back of Edward's throat, brushing his nose down the side of his neck, then moving over to the other side. His hands had left Edward's hips, roaming over as much of the lean form beneath him as he could reach, trying to leave as much of his own scent behind as he could. When he licked the tender spot behind Edward's left ear, his brother jerked hard, clenching around him even tighter. That was all it took for Emmett, groaning as he spilled inside the tight little channel.

He continued to move, sliding in his own come as it was milked from him, wringing his cock dry. Emmett ignored Edward's frustrated growl when he pulled out completely, pressing one hand down hard on Edward's back when he started to twist around. "Stay there. I'm not done with you yet."

The sarcastic remark Edward was going to give about Emmett being done was forgotten at the push of two fingers back into his ass, stroking along his prostate. He gasped instead, hips jerking in surprise at the feeling. Emmett had replaced his cock with his fingers so fast there had been no time for his come to have leaked from the used hole yet. They slid inside easily using the mess Emmett's come had left. Edward moaned brokenly, hiding his face in the sheets as the obscene, almost filthy squishing wet sound of Emmett's come being worked into his ass reached his ears.

Emmett was transfixed by the pink, spread open hole, by the easy slide of his fingers into the loosened channel. His hungry eyes followed the slow leak of his come down the crack of Edward's ass, licking his lips. Without a thought to how Edward was going to react, Emmett leaned in, swiping the milky white fluid up with his tongue. Edward gave a short yelp at the action, and at first Emmett was scared he'd grossed his brother out, but then he felt the shudders that ran through him, the tiny moans he let slip, letting Emmett know he was more then okay with this.

Encouraged, his fingers slipped free, hands moving to spread his cheeks even further apart. Emmett pressed his mouth against the used ring of muscle, sealing his lips over it. He flicked his tongue out, pressing inside, flicking and rubbing against the inner walls of Edward's body, trying to get as deep as he could manage. He ate his own come out of Edward's ass, lapping up the thick fluid, swallowing it down. Emmett slipped one finger back into Edward alongside his tongue, seeking out his prostate, massaging the little nub.

Edward was shaking now, so close to his own climax, but still needing just a little bit more to get him off. Cautiously, in case Emmett tried to stop him again, Edward snaked a hand between his legs, grabbing his stiffened dick with a grateful moan. He started jerking himself in hard, fast strokes, needing to come so badly he was nearly vibrating with arousal. Emmett's tongue was still wriggling inside him, the sensation like nothing he could have ever imagined. Emmett's tongue and finger working his opening, combined with his own hand sent Edward into a tailspin. A scream tore from his throat as his climax hit, his vision going white as he came, seed spurting over his fist and onto the covers. His knees couldn't hold him up any longer, and he slumped to the bed, landing on his stomach in the mess he'd just made, but not caring in the least. His change in position was enough to pull Emmett out of him, and he gave a soft moan at the empty feeling he was left with.

Edward wanted to stay where he was, preferably with Emmett curled up next to him, holding him. He knew realistically however, that they had to leave, that they had to get back to the clearing, back to the rest of their family to wait for James. Apparently Emmett was also aware of what had to be done, because without a word to him, he felt Emmett get off the bed, moving towards the closet. Edward turned his head, which had been pressed face down, to the side, watching as Emmett dug around for a fresh shirt, since his jeans were still wearable. Without turning around, Emmett pulled a new shirt back on, while he started talking. "I'd lend you a pair of my jeans, but there'd be no way that they would fit. You'll have to make a pit stop in your room first before we go. And, uh, it'd probably be better if you didn't clean up either…you know, so my scent is stronger and all."

He sounded embarrassed about the last part, and a flash of worry hit Edward then. He wondered if it was bugging Emmett that with his scent covering Edward, that their family was going to act differently around them, or that maybe it bothered Emmett that he smelled like his brother now, their scents mingled. He didn't have the time to worry about such things right now though, because they had their hands full dealing with another bigger problem. He'd worry about it later, once the threat looming over their family was gone.

Emmett still wouldn't turn around, he still hadn't gotten his emotions under control, his face was still an open book, would still show Edward everything. So he didn't move until after he'd heard Edward get up and leave the room with a soft, "I'll meet you outside Emmett."

It was easier once Edward was no longer in the room, Emmett was able to school his features back into his normal look of nonchalance, and he could only hope that he could manage to keep it that way for the next little while. He stayed in his room longer then was really necessary, not moving to leave until he heard Edward exit through the front door, then he turned to scoop up his discarded jeans from the floor. He regretted his hesitation a moment later, when Edward's pain filled shout of his name ripped through the air.

*****


	5. Chapter 5

*****

Edward was distracted as he finally finished dressing, and made his way outside. That distraction would cost him, would make him pay. As soon as he'd cleared the front door, a hand wrapped around his throat, squeezing tightly, before picking him up and throwing him away from the house and into the front yard. He had enough time to shout, "Emmett!" before the other vampire was on him again, both hands curling around his slender neck this time, cutting off his voice. Edward focused on cropped blond hair and burning red eyes, hands flying up to try and pry steel like fingers off of his throat. He managed to move them about an inch before they snapped back into place, even tighter now.

The growling voice that muttered into his ear made Edward falter in his attempt to free himself. "You're alone. That's very stupid of them, especially after Laurent and Victoria's betrayal gave you warning."

Edward managed to find enough air to gasp out, "I don't need anyone to help me."

Giving up on removing James' hands for the moment, Edward managed to bring a knee up into the others stomach, putting all his strength behind it. James gave a surprised grunt at the impact, which sent him flying a couple of feet away, giving Edward enough time to scramble back to his feet. Snarling, James lunged towards him again, but Edward was able to dodge. All he needed to do was waste a bit of time, hoping Emmett would show up shortly, assuming he'd finally put on some pants.

He kept dodging James' attacks, watching as he grew angrier at his every failed attempt to get his hands on Edward. Although, since Edward was able to read the other vampire's thoughts, he really had an unfair advantage over him, knowing what he was going to do before he did it. Then Edward made his second mistake, delving deeper into his thoughts, to find out exactly what his intentions were. Edward recoiled in horror at the dark plans swirling in his brain, for all the things James had in store for him. For all the ways he was going to torment Emmett before killing him.

It all caused him to lose his concentration, the blond's thoughts slipping away from him. Edward misjudged his next attack, falling for the feint that the other gave, moving directly into James' waiting hands. He grabbed Edward, flinging him back to crash against the thick trunk of a nearby tree. He pressed against Edward, pinning him to the tree with his body weight. Edward's eyes widened, actual fear filling him for the first time when the unmistakable feeling of the larger man's hardened length pressed against his stomach.

One of James' hands tightened in the spiky hair at the side of Edward's head, using his grip to crush Edward's face into the bark, which was crumbling under the pressure. "You might be faster then me," He snarled, sounding put out by the fact. "But you still don't stand a chance against me though. You're faster, but I'm stronger then you. Just give in, I'll be good to you as long as you behave."

The growling roar of rage came from right next to them then, as Emmett made his appearance. He tore James away from his brother, the other vampire lucky he let go on his own, or else Emmett would have simply ripped his arms off to make him stop touching what was his. Emmett flung the blond away from them, sending him through several trees which made impressive cracking sounds as they broke apart from the force behind the throw. Ducking into a quick crouch, Emmett sprang after his fallen form, and with one leap, Emmett was kneeling on top of James. This time it was James who had immovable hands wrapped around his neck, his arms held down by Emmett's bulk.

Emmett's eyes were blazing with anger; he couldn't have pulled back and controlled himself at this point no matter what. His words were barely recognizable underneath all the snarling that he was doing, but Edward could make them out anyway, since he was paying such rapt attention to what was happening. "He doesn't need to be strong. And do you know why?" He accompanied the question with a violent shake of his hands, James' head whipping back and forth. "Because he has me!"

Emmett pulled James up a bit off the ground, until his upper body was in the air. He twisted his hands then, and Edward winced at the sound of snapping bone as he broke the blonde's neck, before tossing the body to the ground in disgust, standing up and stepping away from the dead vampire. Emmett turned to look at Edward, who had moved close while Emmett had been dealing with everything. He couldn't help it, his hands shot out on their own, running carefully over his brother, up his arms and down his chest and ribs, checking to make sure he wasn't hurt.

Edward realized what Emmett was doing right away, and while he was touched, he could hear that their family was getting closer, would come through the tree line in seconds, and he wasn't sure if Emmett wanted to show so much affection around them. He slapped at Emmett's hands, pushing him away, muttering quietly, "I'm fine, I'm fine, don't touch me."

Jasper and Carlisle tore into the yard then, pulling Edward's attention away from Emmett, so he missed the hurt that flashed over his face before it was ruthlessly squashed down. The girls showed up seconds later, all of them skidding to a stop when they saw that everything was already taken care of. Alice started talking right away. "I'm sorry I didn't see it properly, I couldn't tell what he was doing, he kept changing his mind every few minutes." She sounded contrite, feeling responsible for leaving the two of them to deal with this on their own, and clearly angry at herself for what she deemed a failure.

Emmett forced a smile onto his face, although that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "It's fine Alice, we took care of it."

His sister was chewing on her lip, still upset. "But still, I should have known. I get it now, I was looking at it wrong before."

"If you feel so bad about it, then you can finish up, burn the body and clean up." Emmett wondered if she was going to go for it, she had to know that she was being played.

Alice was aware of Emmett's trick, but cleaning duty was a fitting penance for almost getting her brothers killed. "I know what you're doing Emmett, but I got this anyways." Turning to her husband, she batted long black lashes, smiling sweetly. "You'll help me, won't you Jazz."

Jasper rolled his eyes but nodded, cutting her off before she really started in with the begging. He was concerned about both Emmett and Edward, with all the pain that they were exuding. The sooner they finished up here, the sooner he'd be able to confront one of them, probably Edward. He was done standing by and watching them tear themselves apart over feelings that Jasper knew were mutual.

Carlisle looked to his sons, noticing with a frown that things looked even worse between them now then it did earlier. Both of them were concealing their hurt, but he could still see the tinge of it in their eyes. He'd try once more to let them get things worked out between them on their own, before he stepped in and sat them down to talk. "I think you two have things you need to talk about. Why don't you go take a walk, leave this to us." The tone of his voice didn't give them the option of saying no.

They wandered away from the group then, heading past them back towards the clearing they normally used to play baseball. The entire trip was silent, both men lost in their own thoughts. Edward stopped first, tired of skirting the subject that he just couldn't stay silent about anymore. Emmett broke the quiet first, he was nervous so he let his stupid sense of humor handle things for him. "All we'd need to make this day even better would be to have Bella show up all of a sudden. I actually think I don't want to have sex again today. That would be the icing on the shitty day that was today."

The comment stung horribly, worse then any pain James had been able to inflict on him. He couldn't stop the bitter words that left his mouth. "Is it that bad sleeping with me? If I'm not mistaken, I believe this was all your stupid idea in the first place."

Emmett was thrown, not quite sure where this was coming from. "What?"

Edward was upset, was starting to lose his temper, the words exploding from him in a rush. "I can't do this anymore Emmett, I can't pretend that this doesn't mean anything to me, that all this is for me is just sex."

Emmett's own temper flared, an irrational anger coursing through him at his brother's apparent stupidity, and he wasn't afraid to call him on it either. "How stupid are you Edward? Is that all you think this is to me? Just a game? That I'm only playing with you?" He shook his head, hands clenching into fists at his sides. "It's not like that! Not even close. I don't know how you could think that I'd do something like that to you."

Edward wanted desperately to believe him, to trust that what he was saying was the truth. But still, even after everything that they've shared, that damnable wall was still blocking Emmett's thoughts from him. He was certain now that whatever it was Emmett was hiding, it concerned him. And judging by how determined he was to keep it up at all times, it couldn't be anything good. "I don't know Emmett. You could be playing with me, it wouldn't be the first time you toyed with someone."

Emmett couldn't deny that, Edward was right, it had happened in the past. There had been humans that he toyed with, manipulated their emotions to get what he wanted from them, before tossing them aside once he was bored. He could however, try and redeem himself a bit. "I didn't know them, they were strangers to me. They didn't mean anything to me at all!"

"And you're saying that I do mean something to you then?"

Emmett stared at him like he'd suddenly grown a second head. "Of course you mean something to me Edward, you're my brother, my family, I care about you more then anything. I would never want to hurt you, I just can't play mind games like that with my family."

Edward's head shook slowly side to side, still reluctant to cave. He needed to force Emmett here, give him no choice but to let down his guard and let Edward inside his head. He might be saying all the right things, but Edward wasn't sure that the emotions behind them were genuine. "I don't know what to believe anymore. What you're saying, I want to hope that it's the truth, but I can't be sure. You've been hiding something from me for a while now." Edward sighed, a sad smile crossing his face. "I don't think I can trust you, Emmett."

His anger peaked at those words, even as something inside him curled up and wailed about Edward's lost faith in him. He snapped, and lunged before Edward had time to react. He hit him hard, knocking them over, Emmett landing heavily on top of his brother. One knee was braced against the ground, the other pressing firmly down on Edward's abdomen. Edward's arms came up, to try to push him off or to punch him, Emmett wasn't sure which, he didn't give Edward time to follow through. He grabbed thin wrists, one in each hand, and slammed them down, pinning Edward's hands right next to his head. Edward struggled futilely, he'd always been the weaker of the two. Emmett was able to hold him immobile, ignoring the smaller vampire's snarl.

"You think I don't care about you? You're wrong Edward, so very wrong. I don't think I could care more." He leaned down to nuzzle against Edward's closed lips, which refused to open for him, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Emmett pulled back, the pain building in his chest as Edward remained unresponsive. "You are right about one thing though. I have been hiding something from you."

Edward's stomach clenched, a ball of dread forming and sitting there like a rock. "What is it Emmett? Just tell me already!"

Emmett laughed, a self depreciating, bitter ring to it. "Are you sure you really want to know? I don't know if you're going to like hearing what I have to say."

"Yes damn it! I want to know." Edward spit the words out, his body quivering in anger. He was pissed off at himself as well, not just at Emmett. His traitorous body was reacting to having Emmett so close, to having him on top of him.

Emmett smiled at him, but it was all wrong, he looked miserable and defeated. "Alright, I'll tell you, but remember you're the one who wanted to know."

Edward could honestly say that he never would have been able to guess what was going to happen next, what he was about to see and hear. Although he was finally going to get his wish to see inside Emmett's head again. Emmett had no idea if he was doing the right thing, but he was absolutely certain about one thing. He needed Edward's trust back; he needed his brother's trust to live. If, after his confession, Edward hated him, that was fine. It would hurt like hell, but he'd survive as long as the trust was restored between them. Edward would eventually forgive him, or he hoped he would. Of course all this was absolute worst case scenario. There was always a chance that this would go well. Emmett stood more of a chance now that they've been sleeping together, a higher probability for Edward to react positively to his confession.

Emmett was trying to decide what the best way to do this would be. His words now seemed to hold little value in Edward's eyes, and letting his brother read his thoughts at this point might not help. So really, there was only one option left for him. He had to completely open his mind to Edward, show him, without a doubt, how he felt about him. This was going to be difficult so Emmett took a deep, steadying breath, before crumbling the wall he'd tried so hard to keep up for so long.

He brought up everything he could to show Edward just how deeply he cared about him, and in what way. He hit him with it all, everything he's kept to himself, covered up, buried deep inside, all the thoughts he'd pushed away. Emmett showed him every fantasy he's ever had that starred his brother, shared every dirty thought. Every time he's stared at Edward just a little too long. Every time he's looked at him and wondered what his hands would feel like on his body, what his mouth would feel like on him, how it would feel to be inside him. Emmett showed him every time he'd slept with someone, male or female, and imagined that it was Edward that he was with, picturing his brother when he was fucking some stranger.

Then he went further, not only concentrating on the sexual aspect of his thoughts. He let Edward know how much he respected him, how much he admired his brother for his strength, his ability to effectively curb the monster inside. He didn't have moments of weakness, had never not been able to stop himself before ending up with a human as dinner.

More then anything though, Emmett let his love overshadow his every thought. He let Edward know when he'd stopped loving him strictly as a brother, and started to love Edward as a man. Emmett showed him why he started building up the wall between them. How ashamed he was when he realized he wanted to fuck his brother. The brother who, at the time, he believed to be very straight, and could read his mind.

He threw all this at Edward, it didn't take long either, he forced it all out in about half a minute. He was breathing hard, doing something like that wasn't easy, it took a lot out of him. Emmett had been avoiding looking his brother in the eyes, not wanting to see his initial reaction, but now he made himself look. Dragging his gaze up from where it had been focused on Edward's neck, Emmett met a pair of wide, shocked gold eyes. Hope first licked at his chest when he didn't see any obvious disgust or hatred directed at him. Edward wasn't saying anything though, he was just frozen, still as a statue beneath him. Emmett couldn't take the silence any longer, he had to say something, break Edward out of his trance. "Did you get all of that?"

Edward twitched at the sound of his voice, the blank, shocked expression being knocked of his face. "Yeah." He breathed the word out, blown away by what he'd just found out. "I got all of that."

There was a change in the way Edward was looking at him, but Emmett wasn't worried, there was nothing remotely hostile in the look, just the opposite in fact. "Emmett…this is really what…you?"

Edward couldn't finish a sentence properly, his brain was working overtime trying to digest all that Emmett had shared. It was all there though, laid out right in front of him, everything that Emmett had been hiding from him. He'd been worried for no reason, there hadn't been anything bad going on between them. Emmett had just been scared, had tried to bury all this from Edward's view. He felt warm all over, the hard knot of anxiety in his chest loosening and falling away. Emmett's next words made Edward think he was going to burst with happiness.

Hands that had been pinning Edward down lifted, moving to cup his face instead. Emmett poured all the love he felt into his expression and voice, wanting to prove that all this was real. "I love you Edward. More then anything, more then my own life. Please tell me I haven't wrecked everything." Emmett's voice cracked at his next sentence. "Please tell me you still trust me."

Now that his arms were free, Edward wrapped them around Emmett's waist, tugging him down. Emmett was too startled to try and pull away, so Edward had no trouble craning his neck up to press his lips against Emmett's, the kiss was tender, Edward just barely brushing his lips along his brothers. He didn't move away when he started talking, Emmett could feel his lips grazing his mouth with every word. "You haven't wrecked anything Emmett, you couldn't possibly, you made things better. Of course I trust you, I'm sorry I said otherwise. I love you too, for so long, and now I know that I can tell you that."

Emmett jerked his head back, needing to see Edward, needing him to repeat what he just said.  
Edward nodded, happy smile spreading across his face at finally being free to admit that. "I love you Emmett."

Edward was enveloped in his brother's large arms in the next second, the hug tight, the relief and amazement echoing in Emmett's head. Edward felt a thrill at once again being able to hear Emmett, even if right now all he was thinking was a happy babble that definitely wasn't coherent, just a jumbled mess. "Thank you."

Even if he was back inside Emmett's head, Edward didn't know where that was coming from. "For what?" He was confused, Emmett had nothing to thank him for.

The brunette buried his face in Edward's neck, answer muffled, but still clearly audible. "Thank you for not letting me screw this up, for being so forgiving, for trusting me. Thank you for loving me back."

Edward tugged him back up to meet him, crushing their mouths together. "You're welcome then." Edward hesitated, but only for a moment, since he knew for sure now what it was that Emmett wanted, that they both wanted the same thing. Without looking away from Emmett, keeping their eyes locked, Edward slowly, obviously, tilted his head back and to the side, baring his throat. He knew right away from Emmett's quickly indrawn gasp that he understood what Edward was doing, what he was offering. His brother didn't move though, stayed frozen above him, staring wide eyed, so Edward was going to have to say it. "Please Emmett, I want you to do it, I want to prove to everyone that I belong to you and you alone."

Emmett searched his face, noticing just how serious he was about this, that he really wanted this so badly, and Emmett's heart felt like it was going to explode with the amount of love he held for this man. He wanted nothing more then to do it now, but this wasn't something to be taken lightly, this was permanent, this was forever, he needed to be reassured. "You're absolutely positive about this Edward? This is for sure what you want?"

"Yes Emmett, I'm sure. I want your mark more then anything." He tilted his head even further at that, urging him to get a move on things.

"God, I love you so much Edward. For all eternity." He didn't give Edward time to respond before bending down, lips trailing kisses down the side of his throat.

He made his way down to the juncture where neck turned into shoulder, almost the exact same place he had contemplated biting back in the school bathroom. One hand tugged the neck of Edward's t-shirt out of the way, before he placed his teeth carefully into position. He gave the skin beneath his mouth a quick lick, an apology for the pain he was about to cause, before Emmett bit down, sinking his teeth deeply through flesh.

Edward grunted, body going taut at the pain that flared in his neck, but it wasn't all that bad. Emmett was quick, only lingering long enough to ensure that the bite was deep enough for the mark to stay, before he pulled back to look worriedly at Edward's face. Already the pain was fading, turning into a dull throb instead, as the venom etched the mark permanently into his skin. Edward cursed the fact that they were outside, that there was no way for him to see the result, that he was going to have to wait. He pacified his curiosity by bringing a hand up to finger the bite though, tracing over the small dents leftover from Emmett's teeth. Edward couldn't stop the happy smile that spread across his face.

Emmett tried to keep his eyes focused on Edward's face, wanting to see his reaction, but he couldn't help it, his eyes kept drifting back to the shiny, already healed into a scar mark on his brother's neck. He buried his head in Edward's throat, breathing in the mixture of both Edward and himself. It hit him with a jolt then that his scent would always be there, even if they were separated, other vampires would be able to faintly smell him in Edward still. _Mine_, was all Emmett could process at this point, the mark proved Edward was his to love.

Edward caught the echo of that thought, and smiled again, nudging at Emmett until he pulled back enough to look at him. "Yours. I'm yours Emmett. Always." Then Edward dove back in for another kiss, eternally grateful that he could do this now, that he knew Emmett would never protest.

Emmett broke away finally, panting, but needing to ask one last question. "So what do we do now?"

Edward's smile was so wide he could see white teeth. "Nothing. We just keeping living like we did before. The only difference is that we'll be doing it all together now."

Emmett couldn't think of a better way that he could spend his life then with Edward. His love, his life, his light, his mate. They sank back to the ground, oblivious to the world revolving around them, too wrapped up in each other to care.

End


End file.
